G B 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director 



Water-Supply Paper 231 



GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES 



OF 



THE HAMEY BASIN REGION, OREGON 



BY 



GERALD A. WARING 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1909 




Glass \.;f i(j 7^^' ^ 

Book V ffl /f^ - 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director 



Watjer-Supply Paper 231 



GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES 



OF 



THE HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON 



BY 



GERALD A. WARING 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1909 



Ul 16 I90n 












^ 



^. CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Introduction 7 

Character of reconnaissance-. : 7 

Acknowledgments 8 

Previous study 8 

Geography 9 

Topography 9 

General character 9 

Streams 10 

Lakes 10 

Climate 11 

Controlling conditions 11 

Records 12 

Vegetation 14 

Game 15 

Settlements 15 

Industries 16 

Grazing 16 

Agriculture 16 

Lumbering 17 

Minerals and building stone 17 

Geology 18 

The rocks and their succession 18 

Age of the rocks 18 

Plutonic and metamorphic rocks 18 

Earlier effusives : 18 

Tuffaceous sediments 19 

Main lava flows 21 

Later eruptive lava 22 

Valley filling 23 

Geologic structure 24 

Physiography 26 

Topographic changes 26 

Deformation 1 26 

Preservation of later topography 27 

Erosional agencies 27 

Stream action 27 

Glaciation '. 28 

Weathering. 28 

Lakes 29 

Surface water 30 

Divisions , 30 

Harney basin ^ 30 

Area and extent.''. 30 

Streams 31 

Springs 35 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

Surfac-e water — Continued. Page. 

Catlow basin 36 

Streams 36 

Springs 36 

Alvord basin ' . ! 36 

Streams 36 

Springs 37 

Whitehorse basin 37 

Malheur River drainage 37 

Warner Lake drainage 38 

Plateau region 38 

Guano Lake basin 38 

Tables of flow 39 

Underground water 41 

Divisions of underground water 41 

Ground water 42 

Unconsolidated material 42 

Ground-water level 42 

Rock water 43 

Artesian conditions 43 

Conservation of the water supply 45 

Details of the several basins 46 

Harney basin 46 

Location and surface character 46 

Lakes 46 

Settlements 47 

Agriculture 48 

Areas tributary to Harney Valley 49 

Soil 50 

Classes 50 

Alkalinity 51 

Surface water 54 

Reclamation projects 54 

Minor irrigation 55 

Springs 56 

Ground water 58 

Rock water 61 

Structural conditions 61 

Drilled wells 61 

Warm springs 63 

Catlow basin 64 

Description 64 

Settlement 65 

Surface water 65 

Ground water - 66 

Geologic structure 67 

Rock water 69 

Conclusion 70 

Alvord basin 70 

Location and extent .^ 70 

Soil and vegetation 70 

Settlement 71 

Mineral -deposits 72 

Surface water 72 



CONTENTS. 5 

Details of the several basins — Continued. Page. 
Alvord basin — Continued. 

Ground water 74 

Rock-water conditions 77 

Resume 77 

Whitehorse basin 78 

Description *. 78 

Soil 78 

Settlement 78 

Surface water 79 

Ground water 79 

Geologic structure 80 

Rock water 80 

Malheur River drainage area 81 

Surface water 81 

Cultivable land 81 

Structural conditions 82 

Anderson Valley 83 

Description 83 

Surface water and shallow water 83 

Artesian conditions 85 

Temperature of underground water 85 

Well-sinking methods and costs 87 

Index 91 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



/ Page. 

Plate I. Index map of Oregon, showing location and extent of area examined . 8 

II. '^/Reconnaissance map of Harney basin region, Oregon In pocket. 

III. Reconnaissance geologic and structural map In pocket. 

IV. A, Characteristic scarp at west edge of Harney Valley; B, A'alley of 

/ Rattlesnake Creek above Harney 28 

Y: A, J. C. Beatty's ranch on Little Trout Creek; B, Alluvial fans on 

west side of Alvord Valley, near Mann Lake 72 



GEOLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES OF THE HARNEY 
BASm REGION, OREGON. 



By Gerald A. Waring. 



INTRODUCTION. 

CHARACTER OF RECONNAISSANCE. 

Ever since white men first made their homes on the great plains of 
the Northwest and began to use them as ranges for cattle and horses 
the region about the Harney basin in Oregon has been preeminently 
a stock country, for the great areas of rocky plateau and of desert 
valley were valuable chiefly for grazing purposes. Within the last 
few years, however, many settlers have immigrated to this north- 
western region, mainly perhaps because of the growing scarcity else- 
where of Government land worth homesteading. This recent influx 
has brought the region into notice and has given rise to a demand for 
reliable information concerning it, to supply which the writer was 
detailed to make a reconnaissance of Harney Valley and adjacent 
territory. Seven weeks during the summer of 1907 were spent in this 
work, which is an eastward continuation of a similar study that was 
carried out in Lake County in the fall of 1906. The areas covered 
during each of these seasons is shown on the index map (PL I). 
Special attention was paid to the water supply, both from streams 
and from underground sources, and to the structural geology of the 
region in its relation to artesian conditions. 

With the exception of those compiled from the Land Office plats no 
maps of this area have been published. Since a topographic base is 
essential to a careful study of underground water conditions as affected 
by drainage basins and rock structures, the accompanying map 
(PI. II, in pocket) has been prepared from all available data, and 
from field observations made during the course of the examination. 
This work was secondary to the main purpose of the investigation, 
and it is realized that there are many inaccuracies in it, but for the 
purpose of showing the main elements of the relief and drainage and 
their relations, and as a basis for a study of ground-water conditions, 
the map is considered to be sufficiently trustworthy. 

7 



8 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

Occasion is here taken to thank the several ranchers and settlers 
who aided the writer in many ways during the field work. Especially 
is appreciation expressed to Dr. W. L. Marsden, of Burns, for much 
information, and to Mr. J. W. Hanley for the hospitality extended at 
the ranches that he superintends. 

PREVIOUS STUDY. 

In 1882 I. C. Russell made a very general examination of this region 
in connection with his study of Quaternary lakes." At this time he 
visited Alvord Valley, traveling through it from Alvord Lake to its 
northern end; thence he crossed the divide into Harney Valley, fol- 
lowed along its eastern and northern borders, and passed westward 
into Lake County. In his paper he describes the general features of 
this region, especially its geologic structure, in which faulting is the 
predominant factor, and speaks of the great lakes that existed in its 
valleys during Quaternary times. In the summer of 1902 he made a 
second trip through southeastern Oregon, this time more especially to 
examine its geology and to note its water supply. The results of this 
study appeared in two publications of the Survey — a water-supply 
paper (No. 78) ^ and a bulletin (No. 217).'= In his water-supply paper 
he describes the kinds of rocks and their geologic structure, speaks in 
greater detail of the valleys and their water supply, and gives evi- 
dence which he regards as indicating the existence of water under 
artesian pressure in the rocks underlying Harney and Whitehorse 
valleys. In his bulletin of the same year he treats more fully of the 
structure and the classes of rocks, especially of the recent volcanic 
materials, and also describes the character of the several lakes. In 
1903 he made a third journey through this part of the Northwest and 
gathered additional information concerning northern Harney County, 
which is published in another bulletin of the Survey.^ In this report 
he describes the rocks and rock structures along the route traversed, 
and also mentions the prominent mountains and their characters. 
In speaking of the water supply he names the several major streams, 
and considers the possibilities of water storage on them for irrigation 
in the valley lands. In his discussion of underground water he calls 
attention to the shallowness of the ground-water level throughout the 
valleys and the plentiful supply of such water, and advocates the 
drilling of deep wells for artesian flows. • 

a Russeil, I. C, A geological reconnaissance in southern Oregon: Fourth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey; 
1884, pp. 431-464. 

b Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: 
Water-supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 78, 1903. 

c Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. U. S. Geol. 
Survey No. 217, 1903. 

d Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon: Bull. U. S. 
Geol. Survey No. 262, 1905. 



u. s. < 



46 



45 



44 



43 



41 



S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 231 PLATE 




Area discussed in 
Water-Supply Paper No.220 



Area discussed m 
this report 



INDEX IVIAP OF OREGON, 



SHOWING LOCATION AND EXTENT OF AREA EXAMINED. 



GEOGKAPHY. 9 

As their titles indicate, these papers also treat of the country to the 
east and to the west of Harney County. Concerning the country 
immediately north of it there appears to be no literature; while for 
that on the south an article by James Blake ^ on the Puebla (Pueblo) 
Kange of mountains, in Nevada, is the principal publication. This 
paper treats mainly of the structure of the mountains and the kinds 
of rocks that were noted in thern. 

GEOGRAPHY. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 
GENERAL CHARACTER. 

As a whole southeastern Oregon forms a great uneven plateau 
region with an average elevation of between 4,000 and 5,000 feet. 
Large areas of it are nearly level or only gently undulating, but the 
stretches of table-land are broken in a few places by extensive escarp- 
ments, which trend in general from north to south. The escarpments 
border flat valleys, which also occupy a great part of this region, 
usually lying but a few hundred feet lower than the plateaus. These 
valleys contain shallow lakes, or at least playas or wet-weather lakes, 
but for the most part their surfaces form wide level expanses of 
alluvial sagebrush-covered plain. 

The largest of these is Harney Valley, which comprises roughly 
700 square miles of plain, marsh, and lake surface, in the central part 
of Harney County. In the southeast lies Alvord Valley, a long, nar- 
row basin limited by escarpments and rugged hills, while in the south- 
west the Warner Lakes lie in a similar basin, bordered by great cliffs. 
Catlow Valley, in the south-central part of the area studied, is a 
fourth area of level plain, which lies several hundred feet higher than 
the other valley lands. On the east its edge is marked by bold escarp- 
ments, but westward its surface rises gradually to the higher plateau. 

These valleys are not without breaks in their monotonous levels, 
for half-buried buttes rise here and there. Many small sand dunes 
and hillocks also dot their floors, and in some places flood water has 
cut minor channels in the loose alluvial material of their surfaces. 

The plateau character is best developed in the west-central part of 
the area examined and extends westward across Lake County, but it 
is broken by escarpments that border the lake basins existing there. 
Eastward the same topography persists, but it is deeply notched by 
Owyhee River and its tributaries. Northward the surface rises in 
more mountainous slopes to the Strawberry Mountains, and the 
plateau-like character is not so well developed. In the southeast, 
also, a long gentle upward slope culminates in the crest of Steens Moun- 

o Blake, James; On the Puebla Range of mountains: Proc. California Acad. Sei., vol. 5,1875, pp. 210-214. 



10 WATER EESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

tain, and, together with the southward extension of this higher mass 
in the Pueblo ^fountains, forms a different type of rehef from that of 
the remarkably uniform plateau country. 

The great mass of Steens Mountain" is the dominant topographic 
feature in southeastern Oregon, rising as it does to an elevation well 
above 9,000 feet. Along the western border of Alvord Valley it ex- 
tends, trending east of north, from opposite Alvord Lake for a dis- 
tance of 40 miles or more. Its eastern face is a precipitous escarp- 
ment, which in its central, higher portion rises over 5,000 feet above 
the valley at its base and is deeply scored by ravines and canyons. 
From its crest the surface slopes uniformly northwestward, for a dis- 
tance of 15 or 20 miles, to the lowlands of the Harney basin and the 
western plateau country. The northern end of the mountain merges 
with lower though rugged slopes and buttes, while southward its 
limit is marked by an escarpment that swings northwestward along 
the border of the Catlow basin. Southward the mountainous char- 
acter persists in the Pueblo Range, but these mountains do not have 
tho remarkable features of an eastward-facing scarp and long gentle 
westward slope, which are so pronounced in Steens Mountain. 

STREAMS. 

Within the western United States there is a great area from which 
no streams flow to the ocean, hence it is known as the Great Basin 
area of interior drainage. The Harney drainage basin occupies the 
northern end of this area. North of it are the tributaries of John Day 
River, and on the east the streams join Malheur River and thence 
unite with Snake River, but to the south and west the streams are 
small and have no outlet to the ocean. 

Within the Harney basin Silvies River from the north and Donner 
und Blitzen River and its tributaries from the south flow into Mal- 
heur Lake and carry the larger part of the run-off. In the other 
basins smaller streams flow from the surrounding slopes to the valley 
lands. Those that rise in Steens Mountain are perennial, but those 
having their sources in the western part of the county are dry during 
the greater part of the year. 

LAKES. 

The run-off of the nortneastern part of the area studied ultimately 
reaches the ocean through Malheur River, the Snake, and the Colum- 
bia; that of the rest of the region collects in the numerous depres- 
sions of the great plateau, and where it is sufficient in quantity 
perennial lakes are formed. 

a On somo maps this namf; appears as Stein or Steins Mountain, but as it was named for Col. Enoch 
Steen it seems proper to adopt the spelling here used. 



GEOGRAPHY. 1 1 

Of such water bodies in the Harney basin region, Malheur Lake has 
the largest area, but it is very shallow, probably not over 10 feet at 
the deepest; and for some distance out from its margin the water is 
only a few inches deep. As its basin slopes so very gently, the lake 
varies much in extent, being usually greatest in May and June and 
least in January and February, when wide areas of tule land and 
mud flat are left around its borders. During high water it extends 
16 or 18 miles eastward from Narrows and has a maximum width of 
about 8 miles, while at its lowest stage it shrinks to perhaps two-thirds 
that size. 

Harney Lake, 7 or 8 miles across, is more definitely limited, for 
although its surface also fluctuates several feet during the year it 
lies in a deeper basin, with steeper shores, so that its extent is little 
affected by the change in depth. During the greater part of the year 
a shallow strait unites Harney and Malheur lakes, making them 
parts of one continuous water body. 

Silver Lake, on the western border of the Harney basin, is supplied 
mainly by the overflow from Silver Creek during the spring season. 
Like ^the other lakes it is shallow, and all of its bed, which is 3 or 4 
miles across, is not covered by water in the fall. 

Warner Lake, to the southwest, lies in a long narrow valley which 
in its southern portion is bordered on each side by great cliffs. The 
supply to the lake is meagre, from only a few small streams and the 
rain and snow that fall in the lowland itself, so that during the 
autumn the lake shrinks to a number of detached water bodies or a 
chain of lakes. 

In Alvord Valley, on the eastern side of Steens Mountain, Alvord 
Lake in wet winters extends northward and covers the desert of 
the same name to a depth of a few inches. During the summer 
months the desert is a barren mud plain, while the lake itself shrinks 
to a small area bordered by an alkali-incrusted flat. Juniper and 
Mann lakes are smaller fresh-water lakes in separate depressions in 
the northern end of Alvord Valley. They are supplied mainly by 
creeks rising in the slopes of Steens Mountain, upon whose cliffs lin- 
gering patches of snow furnish water to the streams throughout the 
year. 

CLIMATE. 
CONTROLLING CONDITIONS. 

The elevation of most of the valleys of Harney County is about 
4,100 feet, while that of the plateaus is from 4,500 to 5,500 feet. 
This rather high elevation renders the climate colder than it would 
be in this part of the Northwest were the country lower. 

The Cascade Range, which trends from north to south through the 
State, from 125 to 200 miles west of the area under discussion, acts 



12 



WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASTN REGION, OREGON, 



as a great wall separating the abundantly watered coastal side from 
the eastern portion, where the precipitation is slight. This lack of 
moisture, combined with the low mean temperature due to elevation, 
gives the region an arid and a rather severe climate. 

RECORDS. 

In Harney County and adjacent territory weather observations 
have been made at four volunteer stations, and partial records 
extending over several years have been kept. The following summa- 
ries of precipitation and temperatures at these stations are from rec- 
ords furnished by Edward A. Beals, district forecaster of the U. S. 
Weather Bureau, at Portland, Or eg. 

Records of precipitoXion at Burns, Oreg. 



Year. 


Jan. 


Feb. 


Mar. 


Apr. 


May. 


June. 


July. 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


-Annual. 


1890 






0.15 


0.00 


0.40 


0.00 










0.03 

1.69 

.16 

.80 




1891 


0.16 
1.05 
1.35 
1.90 
1.20 
1.50 
1.10 
1.45 
1.90 

Tr. 
1.20 

.72 








0.10 
.75 

1.25 
.00 

".'76' 
2.50 
Tr. 


0.00 

"i."64' 
1.85 
.00 
.00 
.25 
Tr. 
1.32 
.62 
.07 


3.77 
Tr. 

"'."66' 




1892 


0.00 
.50 

1.70 
.00 

"i.'io' 
".'66" 

1.80 
1.67 
3.31 


.25 
.60 
.70 
.00 
2.10 
.60 
Tr. 
.61 
.54 
.30 
.90 


.25 

.10 

.70 

.00 

1.30 

1.10 

Tr. 

.57 

1.15 

.34 


1.65 
Tr. 

1.80 
.00 


.00 
Tr. 
1.30 


0.01 
Tr.. 
.15 
.00 
.60 
.75 
.00 


Tr. 

0.00 

.00 

.00 

"'.'25' 
Tr. 


4.12+ 


1893 


5.64+ 


1894 


10. 10+ 


1895 




1896 


1.00 
1.35 
1.40 
4.55 
.47 


.60 
.95 
.20 
1.80 
.90 




1897 


Tr. 
1.52 
.16 
.34 
.12 


""."32' 


9.95+ 


1898 


4.89+ 


1899 




1900 


.34 
.15 


.00 
.00 


.17 
.22 


.24 
.07 


6.57 


1901 




1902 








1903 














.34 
.86 
.55 
.23 

.27 


3.53 
.37 
.81 
.96 
.51 


. .74 
2.84 
.57 
1.88 
3.49 




1904 


.77 
1.93 
4.24 
2.08 


2.52 

.28 

1.38 

2.36 


2.88 
1.89 
3.94 
2.33 


i.56 
.65 

.27 
1.06 


■■."53' 

2.43 

.51 


.71 
2.-45 
1.41 
1.69 


.58 
.01 
.36 
.26 


.15 
.15 
.43 
.10 


1.67 
.62 
.59 

1.01 


14. 85+ 


1905 


10.44 


1906 


18.12 


1907 


15.57 







., 


Records 


of precipitation in Happy Valley, Oregon. 








Year. 


Jan. 


Feb. 


Mar. 


Apr. 


May. 


June 


July. 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


Annual. 


1890.". 








1.38 
1.57 
2.12 
2.16 
1.25 
1.41 
2.02 
2.33 
.48 
1.62 
1.44 


0.50 
3.14 
1.76 
1.39 
3.25 
1.87 
2.02 
1.39 
2.45 
2.15 
2.06 


1.75 

2.55 
.83 
.00 

2.76 
.01 
.34 

1.61 
.76 
.42 

1.13 


0.00 
2.12 
.39 
.32 
.53 
.20 
.20 
.33 
.04 
.04 
.06 


0.26 
.24 
.00 
.00 
.27 
.12 

1.51 
.09 
.46 

1.05 
.73 


0.54 
.74 
.77 

1.63 
.77 

2.29 
.71 
.36 
.50 
.05 

1.78 


0.09 
.32 
.36 

1.15 

1.74 
.00 
.89 
.39 
.88 

1.74 








1891 


0.65 
.57 
1.09 
1.72 
.66 
1.76 
1.32 
1.17 
1.39 
1.67 


2.70 

.57 

1.11 

1.78 

.48 

.55 

2.53 

.62 

1.57 

1.56 


2.35 
1.62 
1.33 
1.48 
.33 

"i."54' 
.35 

2.79 
.54 


0.99 
1.06 
2.24 
.24 
.30 
2.08 
1.78 
1.89 
2.08 


1.94 
1.05 

.65 

.87 
2.08 

.74 
1.74 

.59 
1.72 


19.31 


1892 


11.10 


1893 


13.07 


1894 


lb 66 


1895.. 


9.75 


1896 


12 83+ 


1897... 


15.41 


1898 


10.19 


1899 


16.62 


1900 



















Records of precipitation -at Riverside, Oreg 










Year. 


Jan. 


Feb. 


Mar. 


Apr. 


May. 


June. 


July. 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


Annual. 


1897 














0.35 
.11 
.15 
.00 
Tr. 
.15 


0.10 
.06 
Tr. 
.50 
.34 
.17 
.52 
.70 
Tr. 
Tr. 


0.14 
.21 
Tr. 
.61 
.38 
.31 

".'65' 
.05 
.29 
.55 


0.15 
.29 
1.67 
1.05 
.42 
.21 
.10 
.98 

"".'is" 

.74 


1.86 

'i.'2i" 


1.61 

.28 
2.06 




1898 


0.66 

1.68 

.87 

.40 

.65 

2.44 

.16 

2.10 

2.15 

.00 


0.25 
1.25 

.59 
2.12 
2.43 

.50 
1.05 

.55 
1.70 
2.39 


Tr. 
1.95 
.50 
.14 

■i.02' 

.60 

.60 

3.93 

1.30 


0.14 
.82 

1.23 

1.02 
.93 
Tr. 

1.60 
.42 
.50 
.GO 


1.17 
1.38 
.81 
.50 


0.31 

".'95' 
.35 


3.48+ 


1899. 


12 17+ 


1900 




1901 


.44 
1.01 

".'25' 
.45 
.35 
.10 


1.24 


7.35 


1902 




1903 


.40 

.45 

2.16 

2.82 

1.15 




.15 
1.15 




1904. 


■i.'47' 

1.07 
1.19 


.50 
.27 

"i.'ai' 


8 09+ 


1905 




1906 


2.20 
2.70 


15 10+ 


1907.:: :.. 


12.63+ 







GEOGRAPHY. 



13 



Records of precipitation at the P ranch, Oregon. 



Year. 


Jan. 


Feb. 


Mar. 


Apr. 


May. 


June. 


July. 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


Annual. 


1897 






0.30 
.21. 
1.34 

.24 


0.15 
.10 
.02 

1.11 






0.00 
.00 
Tr. 
.00 


0.16 
Tr. 

.87 


1.14 
Tr. 
.00 


0.10 
.00 


1.42 
2.00 


1.72 

.00 

2.61 




1898 


6.79 

.00 

1.27 


0.11 
.01 

.28 


2.37 
1.17 
1.08 


0.33 
.00 
.00 


5.91 


1899 




1900 






















Monthly, seasonal, and annual means of temperature and precipitation at stations in 

southeastern Oregon. 



Month. 



Burns. o 



Mean 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
maxi- 
mum 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
mini- 
mum 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
pre- 
cipita- 
tion. 



Happy Valley.'' 



Mean 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
maxi- 
mum 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
mini- 
mum 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
pre- 
cipita- 
tion. 



Riverside. a 



Mean 

tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
maxi- 
mum 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
mini- 
mum 
tem- 
pera- 
ture. 



Mean 
pre- 
cipita- 
tion. 



December. 
January... 
February. 



Winter. 

March... V>'... 

April 

May 



26 
23 

27 



°F. 



In. 

1.2 
1.4 
1.3 



'F. 



'F. 
56 
54 



In. 
1.3 

1.2 
1.4 



'F. 
54 
52 
59 



In. 
1.4 
1.1 
1.3 



25 



3.9 



55 



3.9 



30 



3.8 



1.1 
.6 

.7 



1.4 

1.6 
2.0 



1.1 

.7 
1.2 



Spring . 



June . . . 
July.... 
August. 



Summer . 



September. 
October.. - 
November . 



Fall. 
Annual . . . 



2.4 



47 



94 



30 



cl.O 



.7 

.5 

1.4 



94 



1.1 
.4 
.4 



97 
105 
103 



29 



102 



.9 

.8 
1.4 

3.1 



15 



79 



15 



a Computed from records of monthly mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures, and monthly 
precipitation, furnished by Edward A. Beals, district forecaster, U. S. Weather Bureau, Portland, Oreg. 

b From Bulletin Q of the U. S. Department of Agriculture: Climatology of the United States, by Alfred 
Judson Henry. Chapter on Oregon by Edward A. Beals, p. 967. (Mean precipitation for June corrected 
from original records.) 

c Given as 0. 66 on PI. I of First Biennial Report of the Oregon State Engineer, 1906. 

d Given as 9. 33 on PI. I of First Biennial Report of the Oregon State Engineer, 1906. 

A study of the precipitation records shows that, as in other arid 
regions, the rainfall varies greatly from year to year, a fact that in 
regions of slight rainfall has a vital bearing on the possibilities of 
dry farming. During the years 1904-7 the rainfall at Burns was 
above the average, in two of them being over 50 per cent above the 
normal, and in 1906 nearly twice the average amount. But the 
incomplete records of earlier years indicate that in some of them the 
rainfall was only about half the mean for the last seventeen years. 
In the last table, from the means of precipitation prepared from the 
figures of the preceding tables, it is seen that the moisture is fairly 
well distributed through the winter and spring months. As is to be 



14 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

expected, the rain and snow fall is greater in Happy Valley, near the 
mountains, than it is over the more open country near Burns, owing 
mainly to a greater spring rainfall. Near the protecting mountains 
the mean annual temperature is somewhat higher than in the open 
valley land, perhaps because the portions near the mountains are 
sheltered from the desert winds ; and for similar reasons the extremes 
of temperature are not so great in those sections. But the tempera- 
ture has a considerable range, often going below zero in winter, and 
occasionally reaching 100° in summer. Sudden or extreme changes 
are unusal, however, and though the nights of summer are cool there 
is a considerable period in which there is little danger of frost. Of 
the Harney basin region as a whole it may be said that the average 
rainfall is between 10 and 15 inches, and the mean annual temperature 
between 45° and 50°. 

VEGETATION. 

Only along the northern border of the area mapped on Plate II are 
the slopes timbered, hence it is from this portion that lumber for 
the country to the south is obtained. The growth consists almost 
wholly of open forests of yellow pine. The dense growth of young 
trees in portions of these open forests is gratifying, both as a source 
of future lumber supply and as an aid to the lengthening of the sum- 
mer flow of the streams. Junipers are scattered over parts of the 
plateau lands, and furnish good fence-post material, which is used 
extensively in inclosing fields and homesteads, while cottonwoods 
grow along the upper courses of the mountain streams. But the 
gray sagebrush, which is so characteristic of the Northwest, is the 
chief growth over the plateaus and mountain slopes as well as the" 
valley lands. This brush extends even to the crest of Steens Moun- 
tain, over 9,000 feet above sea level, though at this elevation it is 
dwarfed to a few inches in height, and its stalks are reduced to tough 
twigs that carry only a few leaves. 

The remarkable absence of timber on Steens Mountain has been 
discussed by Kussell,'^ who attributed it to the overlapping of the 
lower border of the cold timber belt and the upper border of the dry 
timber belt. The former extends down the mountain slopes from 
the summit and prevents timber growth in the higher elevations, 
while the deficiency of moisture on the lower slopes .prevents the 
growth of pines there. The main exceptions to the scanty covering 
of vegetation on this mountain are the cottonwoods along the streams, 
a small group of firs in one canyon, and occasional patches of moun- 
tain mahogany on the upper slopes. 

It is from the timbered slopes in the northern part of the county 
that fuel for the greater part of the population at Burns and at 

a Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. U. S. Geol. 
Survey No. 217, 1903, p. 11. 



GEOGRAPHY. 15 

Harney is obtained. When snow is on the ground, logs are easily 
skidded down from the fnpuntains and can then be cut up into stove 
wood at leisure. In the southern part of the county dependence is 
placed mainly on the scattering junipers, which have already been 
largely cut for this purpose and for fence posts. In many parts the 
sagebrush is the most accessible fuel, though it is a disagreeable one 
to handle and burns out quickly. 

GAME. 

A few mountain sheep are said still to inhabit the more inaccessible 
parts of Steens Mountain, while deer and antelope are rather numer- 
ous, and in winter come down into the valleys to feed. It is affirmed 
by residents that during severe weather a few elk still come down 
from the mountain and mingle with the cattle on the Alvord ranch. 
Good trout fishing may be had in the larger mountain streams during 
the summer. Of feathered game, an occasional flock of sage hens 
may be seen on the dry plateaus or in the valleys, while thousands of 
waterfowl frequent Malheur and Harney lakes and the tributary 
marsh lands. The wagon bridge at Narrows is locally famous as a 
stand lor sportsmen, who take advantage of the flight of ducks and 
geese over the narrow strip of water connecting the two lakes. 

SETTLEMENTS. 

Within the area studied there were fourteen post-offices in the 
spring of 1909. Burns, the county seat of Harney County, is a town 
of 800 ojt* 1,000 inhabitants. It is the initial or terminal point of four 
stage fines that connect with railroads at Shaniko and Austin on the 
north. Vale on the east, and Winnemucca, Nev., on the south. These 
places are respectively about 213, 102, 131, and 284 miles distant from 
Burns, according to the post-route map. Harney, the second town 
in size, has perhaps 100 inhabitants. La wen and Narrows, near 
Malheur Lake, and Denio, near the Nevada line, each consists of a 
small group of houses, with a general store and accommodations for 
travelers. At Riley, Diamond, and Andrews one can also obtain a 
few supplies and accommodations for the night. Smith and Venator 
post-offices are at ranch houses, while Harriman, Alberson, Waverly, 
and Voltage post-offices were recently established at new homesteads, 
the former being located near the fine of a prefiminary railroad sur- 
vey of the Northern Pacific system. 

For the southwestern part of the area under discussion the near- 
est store and post-office is at Plush, in Warner Valley. Two slightly 
traveled roads cross the plateau between it and Harney Valley. The 
most direct road runs west of south from the Double O ranch, near 
Harney Lake, to Warner Valley, and along its western side to Plush. 
From the P ranch, at the head of the marsh of Donner und Bfitzen 



16 WATER EESOUKCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

River, another road leads southwest across the Catlow basin and 
follows the general trend of Rock Creek to its upper course, then 
turns west and descends the escarpment into Warner Valley. On 
tliis road there are two ranches on upper Rock Creek, those of Messrs. 
E. T. Flook and Steve Young, which are used as stopping places by 
travelers. On the other road there is no habitation between the 
Double O ranch and the Bluejoint ranch, a distance of 65 or 70 miles. 
In summer the only two watering places on this road are those at 
Buzzard Spring and Mule Spring. 

INDUSTRIES. 
GRAZING. 

As stated in the introduction, grazing is the most important indus- 
try in this region. The plateaus and valleys furnish a cattle range 
that formerly was restricted only by the location of watering 
places; and the bunch grass has in the past been plentiful enough 
to supply feed to thousands of head of stock. In the early fall the 
herds are rounded up, the several brands are separated by their 
owners, and the animals intended for market are driven to the rail- 
road. The others are pastured for the winter on the marsh lands, 
practically all of which are controlled by the larger stock owners. 
During the summer these marshes are mowed and the wild hay is 
stacked for winter feeding. 

Within the last few years the high price of sheep and the low price 
of cattle have led to the introduction of rapidly increasing numbers of 
sheep. As in every other grazing region that they have entered, 
sheep are rendering the none too abundant range unfit for cattle 
and horses, except in those portions of the high desert from which 
the scarcity of water excludes them; and already in the mountain 
regions the results of overgrazing are very apparent. The influx 
of settlers and the fencing of valley land has also restricted the cattle 
range. Of late years these three factors — low prices, the introduc- 
tion of sheep in large numbers, and the settlement of the valley land — 
have caused a very noticeable retrenchment in the cattle business. 
But it seems that this will always be mainly a stock-raising country, 
because of the great areas of plateau that are fit for little except graz- 
ing; and it may be that, as has been found true in the Middle West, 
when the limited areas of arable land have been brought under culti- 
vation and are producing crops of alfalfa, grain, and other feed, many 
more head of stock will be marketed than when the entire region was 
unrestricted range. 

AGRICULTURE. 

Comparatively little farming has yet been done within this region, 
though most of the common fruits and vegetables are grown for homo 
use. Increasing acreages of barley, wheat, and oats are also being 



GEOGRAPHY. 17 

raised each year, to supply the mcreasing demand for grain and hay, 
while rye is a common first-year crop on new land. In a few places, 
where water is available for irrigation, there are small fields of alfalfa, 
but much lowland on which this forage crop might be more profitably 
raised is still given over to the natural grasses, which in the spring are 
irrigated by overflow water from the larger streams. 

The rapid influx of settlers during the last two or three years prom- 
ises to make farming a much more important means of livelihood than 
it is at present. While it may be found easy to raise such grains, 
fruits, and vegetables as are required at home for the table and for 
stock feed, the remoteness of the region from railroads limits the 
market for farm produce to the amount required for local consump- 
tion; and until a ready outlet to wider markets is obtained, the devel- 
opment of the country can not be expected to proceed very rapidly. 

LUMBERING. 

A sawmill in the mountains north of Burns and one in the timber a 
few miles north of Harney supply lumber for the county. Yellow 
pine is almost the only kind of timber available, the rough material 
being sold at from $12 to $14 a thousand board feet at the mill. 

MINERALS AND BUILDING STONE. 

During the last few years renewed interest has been aroused in 
indications of copper in the mountains west of Denio. Some pros- 
pecting has been done and a few good specimens of carbonate ore and 
the native metal have been found, but no body of ore has been 
uncovered, nor has development work been undertaken to any 
extent. 

Deposits of volcanic ash and coarser fragmental material form beds 
of tuff that in a number of places have been quarried to some extent 
to obtain building stone. At Burns squared blocks of rhyolitic tuff 
from the neighboring slopes have been employed in the construction 
of a church and a bank building; and rougher blocks of the same 
material have been used in several other buildings, as well as in 
foundations and retaining walls. But the irregular mottling of this 
dark-brown stone, which contains fragments of lighter-colored mate- 
rial, is not very pleasing when put to this use. At Narrows a light- 
buff tuffaceous sandstone has been used in the construction of one or 
two buildings, and for chimneys, foundations, and similar purposes. 
In other parts of the county similar material is also quarried for such 
uses. 

74385— IRR 231—09 2 



18 WATER RESOUECES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

GEOLOGY. 

THE ROCKS AND THEIR SUCCESSION. 

AGE OF THE ROCKS. 

The rocks of the Harney basin region consist ahnost wholly of 
effusives and varieties derived from them. The greater part of these 
seem unquestionably to belong to the same period of outpouring as 
those that cover northern Oregon and southern Washington, which 
are known as the Columbia River basalt. These latter have been 
determined to be of Miocene age by fossils found along Columbia and 
Yakima rivers and in the basin of John Day River, in sediments that 
are interbedded with the lavas. But in at least one portion of the 
area covered by this report there are rocks of an older series than that 
of the effusives, and successive flows of these effusives also bear such 
relation to each other as to warrant the recognition of the following 
classes of material in addition to the main Miocene lava flows: Plu- 
tonic and metamorphic rocks, earlier effusives, tuffaceous sediments, 
later eruptive lava, and the unco nsoh dated sediments filling the 
valleys. The approximate extent of these several classes of material 
is shown on the geologic map (PI. Ill, in pocket), but their boundaries 
as there shown must be understood to be indicated only in a very 
general way ; for the main purpose of the examination did not permit 
their detailed mapping. 

PLUTONIC AND METAMORPHIC ROCKS. 

Pueblo Mountain and the range south of it are composed of rocks 
that belong to an older series than do the lavas to the north. These 
mountains were only cursorily examined, but from float specimens 
that were collected along the eastern base of the range they appear to 
be made up of andesitic porphyries, micaceous schists, and granitic 
rocks, which have been more or less extensively affected by mineral- 
izing agents. 

In a paper published in 1875 Dr. James Blake ^ describes the south- 
ern extension of these mountains in Nevada. There he found mica- 
ceous and talcose schists and metamorphic limestones, which dip 
away from the mass of porphyry that forms the crest of the eastern 
ridge of the range. 

The rocks of this range are the oldest that were noted, but to what 
earlier period than the lavas they belong there are no facts at hand 
to suggest. 

EARLIER EFFUSIVES. 

In a few places masses of lava were noticed that from their struc- 
ture and positions seem to be older than those associated with the 
main flows, for they show little bedding structure and rise high 

o Blake, James, The Puebla Range of mountains: Proc. California Acad. Sci., vol. 5, 1875, pp. 210-214. 



GEOLOGY. 19 

above the surrounding lavas, which extend only part way up on 
their bases and apparently never completely covered them. Of 
these masses, Iron Mountain and Flagstaff Butte are the most 
prominent. The slopes of the former are composed largely of rock 
that has been identified by E. S. Larsen, jr., as hornblende basalt. 
From its shape and the relation of its material to the surrounding 
olivine basalt the mountain is considered to be an early volcanic 
cone.^ Flagstaff Butte is composed of rhyolitic rocks, and has the 
characteristics of an old volcanic neck, or plug. It is possibly the 
source from which issued the sheets of greenish rhyolite that is the 
surface rock west of it. 

On the western side of Alvord Valley, opposite the middle portion 
of Alvord Desert, and also 4 or 5 miles south of Andrews, there are 
hills of light-colored rhyolite. This rock apparently underlies the 
great series of basaltic flows that forms the mass of Steens Mountain, 
and it is thought to belong to an older period of effusion than the 
basalt. 

TUFFACEOUS SEDIMENTS. 

In ^ve localities sedimentary beds of fine-grained volcanic tuff and 
ash were noted. In Alvord Valley, west of the Alvord ranch, beds of 
siliceous tuffs are exposed at the base of Steens Mountain. The 
thickness of these beds is given by Russell^ as over 1,000 feet. There 
is a prominent outcrop of the material between the elevations of about 
5,300 and 5,200 feet, but the lower portion of the deposit is obscured 
by talus and stream wash. 

Northwest of Tumtum Lake, light-colored tuffaceous rocks form 
hills on the western side of Alvord Valley. These beds form a lower 
topographic belt, distinct from that of the basaltic escarpment farther 
west. The tuffs are less siliceous than those farther north, and in 
them the bedding is better developed. A ripple-marked surface is 
usually presented along parting planes. These tuffs, like those 
west of the Alvord ranch, underlie the main basaltic flows, or at least 
are near the base of this series. 

East and northeast of Flagstaff Butte, in the flat valley of Willow 
Creek, there are nearly horizontal beds of fine white volcanic ash, 
which are interspersed every few inches with more sandy layers, 
and are overlain by coarse fragmental tuff. Mr. J. C. Beatty has 
opened a quarry in the fine-grained beds about 24 miles east of Flag- 
staff Butte, in which a very good section of the material is exposed. 
From the white layers of volcanic ash beautifully preserved plant 

oSee Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon: Bull. U. S. 
Geol. Survey No. 252, 1905, p. 47. 

b Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: BuU, U. S. Geol. 
Survey No. 217, 1903, p. 16. 



20 



WATEE KESOUECES OF HAENEY BASIN EEGION, OEEGON. 



remains were collected, which have been identified by F. H. Knowl- 
ton, paleobotanist of the U. S. Geological Survey, as of Upper Eocene 
age. The specimens examined contained leaves of the fossil oak, 
alder, birch, willow, and maple. Of these trees the following species 



were recognized: 



Quercus consimilis Newberry. 
Quercus simplex Newberry. 
Alnus serrulata fossilis Newberry. 



Betula heterodonta Newberry. 
Salix perplexa? Knowltoii. 
Acer osmonti Knowlton. 



Near the southern base of Flagstaff Butte, at the eastern end of 
the small valley along Trout Creek, similar tuffaceous sediments are 
exposed that dip gently eastward beneath the basalts. 

The siliceous sediments noted at the two localities in Alvord Valley 
possibly are also of the same series as those near Trout and Willow 
creeks, but the evidence that was obtained is not sufficient to warrant 
correlating them definitely with these Eocene deposits. 

The fifth locality where sedimentary beds were noticed is south of 
Narrows, where an area of a number of square miles is covered by a 
fight-colored felsitic tuff or sandstone. Near the southeast border 
of Harney Lake it forms bluffs 200 feet in height. The material is of 
homogeneous texture and is well bedded. No fossils are known to 
have been found in it. This material has been assigned by Russell^ 
to a position overlying the basalt. When traced southward, however, 
it seems to pass beneath the lava of the plateau, and detailed study 
may show that it is interbedded with the upper portion of the basalt. 

In a few other localities layers of fine-grained and well-bedded tuffs 
were seen, where they are exposed along bluffs, but the surface 
extent of the material at these places is not sufficient to warrant 
indicating it on the geologic map (PL III). Such beds were noted 
near Silver Lake, at the point of the bluff about 2 miles north of the 
Seventyone ranch, and on the north side of the canyon of Silver 
Creek, about 3 miles north of this point. At the former place the 
material is a soft, well-bedded, light-gray sandstone, of which a 
small amount has been quarried as a building stone. At the latter 
place there is exposed a thickness of 50 feet of the rock, which dips 
about 2° northward. 

On the eastern edge of the county, where Swamp Creek joins South 
Fork of Malheur River, similar material is found at the bluff between 
the canyons of these two streams. The exposure is made promi- 
nent by a private road that cuts into the sandstone, and also by the 
face of a quarry that has been opened to obtain the material for build- 
ing purposes. 



o Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. U. S. Geol. 
Survey No. 217, 1903, p. 16. 



GEOLOGY. 2 1 



MAIN LAVA FLOWS. 



By far the greater part of the area over which the rocks are ex- 
posed is covered by lavas that are thought to belong to the same period 
of effusion as the Columbia River basalt. These rocks are mainly 
basalts and basaltic tuffs. There is much variation in texture and 
composition in the former, from hard black fine-grained varieties to 
coarsely crystalHne rocks composed chiefly of basic feldspar; and in 
the latter from fine-grained homogeneous tuffs to coarse agglomerates. 
Associated with the basalts and in many places interbedded with them 
there are sheets of rhyolite and rhyoUtic tuff, so that sections exposed in 
some escarpments show an alternation of basaltic and rhyoHtic layers. 
About 2 miles northeast of Diamond the road to Happy Valley 
ascends a 350-foot bluff in wliich is exposed, from the bottom up, 
basalt along the border of the flat of Swamp Creek, wliite and light- 
colored tuffs for over half the way to the top, and over that a gray, 
glass}^ rhyohte, covered by a thin capping of basalt. On descending 
to Smith this series is crossed in reverse order, but on this eastern side 
of the plateau the tuff is much thinner and the lower basalt is met 
higher above the valley land. On the east side of Alvord Valley 
the road from Andrews to IVhitehorse ranch climbs across a similar 
alternation of layers. The series at tliis place consists of basalt over- 
lain by about 100 feet of rhyoHtic tuff and rhyohte, and over this ap- 
proximately 100 feet of tuffaceous sediments, covered by a thin layer 
of basalt. 

The siHceous rhyoHtic rocks were noticed principally in the eastern 
and northern portions of the county, where rhyoHtic tuffs cover wide 
areas. On the northern and northwestern borders of the Harney 
basin the surface rocks are also mainly such siHceous varieties. The 
rim rocks back of Harney and the lower slopes on each side of Silvies 
River are composed of them. In the southeast also the rim roclvs 
bordering the stream gorges near Diamond are of rhyoHtic tuff, 
while on the eastern edge of the county great sheets of it cover the 
plateau that extends southward from Venator. The greater part of 
the more elevated masses of Steens Mountain, and of the liills draining 
to Malheur River, is composed of basaltic rocks, as is also the great 
expanse of plateau in the southwest. SiHceous rocks were noticed at 
numerous other points in these great areas, but basalt is by far the 
predominant rock. 

Occasional dikes were seen that cut almost verticaUy through the 
flat lava beds. The most prominent of these are two paraUel dikes of 
basalt which extend along the scarp of Steens Mountain, about two- 
thirds of the way toward its crest. The larger of these is very promi- 
nent throughout a great part of its exposed length, being 10 to 60 



22 WATEK KESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

feet in thickness at places where it was seen at close range, and 
standing 50 feet or more above the slopes of the scarp. Its course 
was traced from a mile north of Whisky Hill to the most rugged por- 
tion of the scarp, northwest of the Alvord ranch, a distance of 17 or 
18 miles. Of siliceous dikes perhaps the most notable one is on the 
eastern edge of Harney Valley, near the stage road to Vale. There a 
dike of white porphyritic rhyolite crosses a stream channel and forms 
what is locally known as the '^reservoir site." 

LATER ERUPTIVE LAVA. 

Several miles northwest of Diamond there is an area of basaltic and 
scoriaceous lava surrounding craters from which it issued. This 
recent lava is but sparingly covered with thin patches of soil, though 
sagebrush has obtained a foothold over much of it. A number of the 
craters or cinder cones, which are built up of scoria and small bombs, 
still have their original forms, while numerous pressure ridges in the 
lava, near the edge of the flow, are also interesting features of the sur- 
face.^ 

The flat country that hes between Malheur Gap and the Mule 
ranch and extends to Indian Creek is covered with basalt that is 
raised into pressure ridges and otherwise much resembles the recent 
flow near Diamond, though it supports a heavier growth of sagebrush. 

Malheur Cave is a low arched chamber in this basalt, between Camp 
and Indian creeks. It is said to be about a mile long, from 50 to 100 
feet wide, and in places 20 feet high. The entrance to the cave is an 
opening about 25 feet wide and 4 feet high, at the end of a slight de- 
pression in the lava plain. The cave slopes gently downward toward 
the back, and the farther half of its floor is covered with water, 
which seems to be the accumulation from surface drainage and from 
seepage. This cave was possibly formed by cooling of the surface 
of the lava flow so as to make a crust, while the still molten inner por- 
tion flowed out from beneath it and left a long tube or tunnel. Caves 
of this character are common in other basaltic regions, and this 
theory of their origin has been spoken of by Russell and others. 

An area of similar basalt covers the valley of Crane Creek from a 
mile or two below the mouth of Coyote or Little Crane Creek to near 
the mouth of Coleman Creek.'' Possibly these two areas of basalt are 
parts of the s^me flow, their connection through the valley of Camp 
Creek now being obscured by alluvium. Although this lava is very 
probably of more recent age than the main flows, it is evidently 
older than that of the Diamond craters, and hence it is not classed 
with the latter on the geologic map (PI. III). In other localities 

a These craters and the surrounding lava have been fully described by Russell in Bull. U. S. Geol. Sur- 
vey No. 217, 1903, pp. 54-r)f5. 
J* This is also described J)y Russell in BulJ. U. S. (JeoU Survey No. 252, 1905, p. 37, 



GEOLOGY. 23 

smaller areas of similar basalt were noticed that appear to be of 
later effusion than the main flows, and it may be that when the 
geology is studied in detail the extent of these later flows can be 
mapped and their sequence determined. 

The succession of rhyolites and basalts and their associated tuffs 
forms a series the greater part of which is of middle Tertiary age; 
but the basalt flows in Anderson Valley and along Crane Creek, 
which are evidently of later date, and the comparatively recent 
craters near Diamond suggest that effusion has continued almost to 
the present. 

VALLEY FILLING. 

All the valleys are filled by silts and sandy deposits, which have 
given them their fine-grained coatings of soil. Records of the few deep 
wells that have been sunk in Harney Valley show that in its central 
portion the sediments consist chiefly of clays with a few interbedded 
layers of sand, while nearer the borders of the basin sandy and grav- 
elly layers predominate. 

Such a condition is found where streams bring down alluvial 
mateki^l and discharge it into lakes; for on entering the quiet 
water their currents are checked, and the coarser, heavier portions 
of their loads are deposited first near shore, while the finer material 
that is held longer in suspension is deposited farther out in more 
evenly assorted layers. Borings in Harney Valley show that these 
unconsolidated deposits are relatively shallow, probably in few 
places over 300 feet in depth, while structural conditions in White- 
horse and Catlow valleys indicate that in them the deposits are still 
less extensive. In the formation of the Alvord basin faulting and 
other deformation of the lavas have played such important parts 
that the position of the rock floor of the valley can not even be 
approximated from the evidence now obtainable. Wells have been 
bored south of Andrews to a depth of 200 feet without encountering 
firmer material than coarse gravel, and one drilled near its northern 
end by Mr. J. H. Neal to a depth of 435 feet did not reach solid rock. 

The alluvium deposited directly by the streams merges so imper- 
ceptibly into the sediments that have been held longer in suspen- 
sion in the lake water and finally laid down in more homogeneous 
strata that in many places the two classes of material can not be 
separated. Since the disappearance of the former lakes the wind 
has reassorted much of the finer material, transporting it from one 
locality to another and mixing with it residual soil from the plateaus, 
so that the records of deposition are still further obscured. 

In some districts, however, areas covered by purely stream deposits 
still remain. On each side of the valley of Silver Creek above Riley, 
beyond the limits of the creek bottom, there is a belt of gravelly 



24 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

bench land formed of stream wash. Similar beds of gravel border 
the western side of Warm Spring Valley along Malheur River, in 
the northeast corner of the area examined. On the western side of 
Alvord Valley numerous short streams from Steens Mountain have 
brought down quantities of gravel, and have built up large alluvial 
fans that extend far into the lowland. Between Mann and Juniper 
lakes the amount of material brought down has been sufficient to 
form a low alluvial divide across this narrow part of the valley, 
which separates and probably has also formed these two small lake 
basins. In Catlow Valley, Home and Threemile creeks have built 
extensive alluvial fans where they debouch into the lowland, while 
Skull Creek has formed similar deposits where its narrow valley 
opens to the broader plain. Nearly all the streams entering Harney 
Valley have such low grades that they have not built noticeable 
alluvial deposits. Instead, the finer valley sediments extend for 
some distance within their canyons and form stretches of meadow 
land bordering the stream channels. 

GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE. 

Since the outpouring of the great sheets of lava that now cover 
most of this region, movements in the earth's crust have disturbed 
them and altered the surface features. In some places the rocks 
have been bent into great low folds; in others immense blocks have 
been broken loose from adjacent parts of the crust and uplifted or 
depressed. By these movements and dislocations valley basins 
have been formed and escarpments have been produced that are now 
prominent features in the topography. 

The most notable structural feature in southeastern Oregon is a 
great uplift, the western portion of which forms Steens Mountain. 
Bordering the western side of Alvord Valley a great fault extends, 
along which the movement took place that formed the escarpment 
of this mountain. On the opposite side of the valley lower escarp- 
ments and the gentle eastward inclination of the rocks show that 
the major structure is that of a great arch or anticline. This has 
been broken, and its central portion, or the keystone of the arch, 
has been dropped. It is upon this faulted block or keystone that 
Alvord Valley lies, bordered on each side by the escarpments that 
were produced by the dislocation. The maximum displacement of 
this faulting is attained west of the Alvord ranch. At this locality 
the height of the rim rock above the valley shows a displacement 
of fully 5,000 feet, but how much this is increased by the depth of 
the rock floor below the valley surface is at present only conjectural. 
The hills that rise from the valley floor seem to be tilted blocks that 
were broken off and displaced by the movement that produced the 
greater topographic feature. The ridge between Wildhorse Creek 



GEOLOGY. 25 

and Alvord Desert may be a great splinter that was partially left 
behind in the uplift along the major scarp, while a similar smaller 
block clings to the side of the bluffs west of Mann Lake. 

Although the lavas have been more or less disturbed over all this 
country, and have been bent into arches and troughs, few dips greater 
than 15° were seen, while most of the beds are inclined at angles 
of less than 10°; thus the folding is characterized by low broad 
structures. The Harney basin is the largest of these low folds, being 
in effect a great shallow depression in the plateau, 50 miles or more 
in diameter. The several buttes and ridges within it show that it is 
not a simple saucer-like basin, but its synclinal form is the major 
structural -feature of the central part of the county. Whitehorse 
and Catlow valleys also lie in basins that seem to be shallow synclinal 
troughs. The structure of the Catlow basin is not so clear as that 
of Whitehorse and Harney valleys, for an escarpment borders its 
eastern side, which in its highest portion rises 1,400 feet above the 
plain, while another cliff 400 feet high extends for several miles 
along the northeastern end of the valley. These escarpments are 
thought to have been produced by erosion and weathering rather 
than by faulting, however, and the reasons for this assumption are 
given later in the discussion of Catlow Valley (p. 68). The upper part 
of the course of Donner und Blitzen River has been mentioned by 
Russell^ as being in a plunging synclinal trough. Along the middle 
course of this river, between the P ranch and the Buena Vista ranch, 
this fold seems to develop into a fault, for an escarpment that attains 
a height of over 1,000 feet forms the western side of the valley. 
Northward this scarp dies out in the nearly horizontal beds of the 
plateau land. An escarpment that borders the eastern side of 
Warner Valley exceeds a height of 2,000 feet for a great part of its 
length, and is very probably the face of a fault block. 

Not all the scarps of the Harney basin region are of fault origin, 
however. Those of Catlow Valley have been mentioned as probably 
the results of erosional forces, and Harney Valley is bordered in 
part by scarps 100 to 400 feet high, which are evidently due to such 
agencies. In this connection it may be stated that the rocks dip 
gently away from the scarps of Steens Mountain, of Warner Valley, 
and of Donner und Blitzen River, which have almost undoubtedly 
been produced by faulting, while the dip is toward the escarpments 
bordering Catlow and Harney valleys. It is not to be understood 
that this is a distinctive difference between scarps of erosional 
and those of fault origin, but it is characteristic of the tilted block 
structure. 

a Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. U. S. Geol. 
Survey No. 217, 1903, p. 15. 



26 WATEK KESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

On the northern side of the canyon of Trout Creek, from about 
2 miles west of FLigstafF Butte to the mouth of the canyon, there is 
exposed a thickness of several hundred feet of greenish rhyolite, 
while the hills south of the creek are mainly basaltic. This fact, 
taken together with the attitude of the rocks, suggests that there 
has been some faulting along the course of this canyon, although 
there are no marked topographic features to confirm the suggestion. 

The mountains north and northwest of Harney Valley are anti- 
clinal in structure, as are other smaller uplifted masses in the area 
examined. All the minor features that have been mentioned, how- 
ever, are subsidiary to the two great structures that dominate the 
deformation in southeastern Oregon, namely the Steens Mountain 
uplift and the w^ide shallow depression of the Harney basin. 

The structure is shown in a general way on the geologic map 
(PL III) by heavy black lines that follow the major faults, and by 
red lines along the axes of the principal folds that were noticed. 
There are also dip symbols indicating the general inclination of the 
lava beds in other portions. 

PHYSIOGRAPHY. 

TOPOGRAPHIC CHANGES. 

Concerning the surface of this country previous to the outpouring 
of lava that spread over southern Oregon and adjacent portions of 
Idaho and Nevada, it is known only in a very general way that it 
was carved into mountains and valleys that formed a well-developed 
topography. The floods of Miocene lava buried this preexisting 
topography hundreds and in places thousands of feet deep, and 
filled up canyons and valleys; so that at the cessation of the period 
of greatest volcanic activity the surface was that of a vast, nearly 
level plateau. Farther north the Strawberry Mountains and .other 
large uplifted masses were surrounded but probably not buried by 
the lava, and still gave some diversity to the surface. Within the 
southern portion, however, only a few isolated peaks, such as Iron 
Mountain and Flagstaff Butte, were left projecting above the other- 
wise slightly undulating surface. 

DEFORMATION. 

At a later time earth movements began that resulted in the uplift 
of the Cascade Mountains. Although this range is 150 or 200 miles 
west of Harney County, the forces that produced it were felt at this 
distance, and disturbed the relatively level surface. In some places 
low ridges and shallow basins were produced, while in others the 
plateau surface was broken into great blocks, having their long axes 
extending in general from north to south. By unequal subsidence 
in s(3me places and by uplift in others these were tilted and now 



PHYSIOGRAPHY. 



2? 



form elevations having an escarpment on one side and a gentle slope 
on the other. From its extensive development in the Great Basin, 
and since its study by Gilbert and Russell, this has become known 
as the basin-range type of structure. Within the area covered by 
this report, the escarpments of Steens Mountain, of Donner und 
Blitzen River, and of Warner Valley have been said to be probably 
of this origin. Aside from these three major fault lines the present 
topography seems to have been produced mainly by gentle deforma- 
tion, which produced the Harney basin and other smaller areas of 
depression, and by low upf olding, which formed the hills to the north 
and northwest. 

PRESERVATION OF LATER TOPOGRAPHY. 

The main features of the topography that resulted from this defor- 
mation still exist comparatively unmodified. The escarpments are 
still clear cut, the gentler slopes are dip slopes, and the minor folds are 
little altered by erosion. The plateau areas indeed appear to be 
approximately the original surface so far as removal of material by 
erosion is concerned. This unmodified condition indicates that 
deforni^tion can not have taken place very long ago, geologically 
speaking, else weathering and erosion would have succeeded in wear- 
ing down the slopes more than they have, for the rainfall was greater 
during the Pleistocene epoch than it is at present; hence within geo- 
logically recent times the erosive action has been much greater than 
it is at the present day. It would even seem that slight movements 
have continued nearly to the present time, if a small scarp in the allu- 
vium at the west edge of Alvord Desert be considered a fault scarp. '^ 

EROSIONAL AGENCIES. 
STREAM ACTION. 

The work of erosion has nevertheless carved prominent though 
secondary topographic forms in the mountains and plateaus. In the 
higher portions of Steens Mountain, where rain and snow are more 
abundant than in the lower land, deep gorges have been formed. It is 
by such stream action that the notches have been cut through which 
Home Creek, Threemile Creek, and Skull Creek descend from the 
higher to the lower plateau; that the gorge of the northern branch of 
Donner und Blitzen River has been formed; and to a certain extent, 
also, that the precipitous canyons on the eastern face of Steins 
Mountain have been eroded. 

A minor feature that was noticed along several streams is perhaps 
best exhibited on Smith Creek, where a number of meadows have 
been formed along its course, which are separated by small gorges 

o Russell, I. C, A geological reconnaissance in southern Oregon: Fourth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, 
1884, p. 445. 



28 WATEK RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

that have been cut through low basalt folds. These folds are trans- 
verse to the stream course, and it seems as if they have been produced 
since the establishment of the drainage line, and that the stream has 
cut down through them as they rose, but not rapidly enough to keep 
its channel cut to grade. The checking of the water and the con- 
sequent deposition of silt behind the low barriers produced the present 
stretches of meadow land. 

GLACIATION. 

In the highest part of Steens Mountain there is some evidence in 
the topographic forms that there has been a small amount of glacia- 
tion. The gorge of Kieger Creek in its upper 4 or 5 miles is 1,500 feet 
or more in depth, somewhat U-shaped in section, with small hanging 
valleys on its western side; and it heads in a deep cirque nearly half 
a mile across. Beneath the north-facing cliffs there are snow banks 
that remain throughout the year. In one of his later papers Russell 
gives a detailed description of this gorge and discusses its possible 
origin by ice action. Concerning it he says : " 

Kieger Canyon is prolonged for some 20 miles below the locality where the lowest 
evidence of glaciation is discernible, and is not floored with coarse debris, such as 
occurs downstream from the extremities of existing valley glaciers. No alluvial 
terraces are present to show that conspicuous variations in the load of Kieger Creek 
have occurred, such as are present in many valleys which have held glaciers in their 
higher tracts. There are no recognizable terminal moraines anywhere in the canyon 
and almost a complete absence of lateral moraines. The evidence of the former 
presence of a glacier in the upper end of the canyon is furnished principally by a 
noticeable increase of width in the portion formerly occupied by ice and a change 
from nearly vertical walls to a U-shaped cross profile. ^ * * The facts presented 
by Kieger Canyon * * * are consistent with the idea that a deep water-cut trench 
existed before the glaciers from the south entered it, and that it has experienced what 
may be termed a * ' small degree of glacial erosion . ' ' This conclusion finds support also 
in the fact that, so far as has been discovered, none of the other canyons on the Steen 
Mountains show evidence of glaciation. Kieger Canyon stands in the highest portion 
of the upturned block in which it has been excavated, but the advantages thus assured 
in reference to snow accumulation are not conspicuous. Seemingly the conditions 
were so delicately adjusted that a glacier was formed at the head of Kieger Canyon, 
but not in the neighboring canyons. This condition of delicate adjustment of eleva- 
tion and topographic conditions to the climate of the region is now manifest by the 
presence of perennial snow banks in the shelter of northward-facing cliffs on the border 
of Kieger Canyon and their absence on the borders of the neighboring canyons. 

WEATHERING. 

The processes of weathering and decay have been efficient in form- 
ing many escarpments, especially along the valley borders. It is 
thought that the bluffs back of Harney and the escarpments of 
Wrights Point and of Windy Point are of such origin. In these 
scarps the forms produced by the weathering of nearly horizontal 
beds overlying softer tuffs is ideally developed. In Plate IV, A, is 

a Russell, I. C, Hanging valleys: Bull. Geol. Soc. America, vol. 16, Feb., 1905, pp. 84-85. 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 231 PLATE IV 




\y 



A. CHARACTERISTIC SCARP AT WEST EDGE OF HARNEY VALLEY. 




t^ '■'•■^Hl^.^^'^H^' 




B. VALLEY OF RATTLESNAKE CREEK ABOVE HARNEY. 



PHYSIOGRAPHY. 29 

shown a portion of the scarp about 8 miles west of Wrights Point, in 
which the abrupt transition from level alluvial valley land to flat 
rocky plateau is well exhibited. 

Within the Harney basin the channels of several streams are in- 
trenched between escarpments that seem to be as much the result of 
weathering as of direct stream cutting. Of such character are the 
courses of Silvies River above Burns, of Kieger Creek for 6 miles 
above Diamond, of Rattlesnake Creek near Harney, and of Camp 
Creek from near Malheur Cave to the valley of South Fork of Malheur 
River. Low grades and the consequent formation of strips of meadow 
land that extend far up their courses are also characteristic of these 
streams. The meadow along the course of Rattlesnake Creek is 
shown in Plate IV, B. It may be that such a strip of meadow is the 
result of the cutting of the stream nearly to its base level,, the level of 
Harney and Malheur lakes; but in some respects this feature resembles 
that produced by the drowning of stream mouths. Russell^ has 
shown tliat Silvies River formerly flowed through Malheur Gap and 
thence to Malheur River. A flow of basalt, probably during the 
Pleistocene epoch, certainly since the formation of the Harney basin, 
closed this outlet, produced a great shallow lake, and allowed the 
basin to be silted up. This may have been the cause of a reduction 
of the stream grades and the formation of the present meadow lands. 

LAKES. 

The lakes of southeastern Oregon are very good examples of the 
dependence of such bodies on the climate for their existence. During 
the Pleistocene epoch the basins that were produced by earlier deforma- 
tion of the lavas were occupied by water bodies many of which 
have left evidence of their extent- in slight terraces or water lines 
along the valley sides. No less than four well-marked and two 
fainter lines on the eastern side of Alvord Valley show that a lake of 
varying size once occupied it, and that the water attained a maximum 
depth of over 100 feet above the present valley floor.^ In Catlow 
Valley three well-marked water lines persist along the entire eastern 
side of the basin and show that water to a depth of over 75 feet once 
covered it. In the basin of Warner Lake similar high-water marks 
are to be seen. Even in the small basin of Juniper Lake there are 
two shore lines, respectively about 30 and 60 feet above the present 
lake surface. In the largest basin, that of Harney and Malheur 
lakes, no such record is noticeable, probably because of the shallow- 
ness of the ancient lake ; but the character of the deposits throughout 
its extent shows unmistakably that they are of lacustrine origin. 

a Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. U. S. Geol. 
Survey No. 217, 1903, p. 22. 

b In the Fourth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, 1884 (p. 459), Russell assigns a depth of 400 feet to the 
former lake in this valley, hut the evidence for it is not given. 



30 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

In regions where precipitation is ample to supply the losses by 
evaporation and possible leakage a lake is a fairly permanent feature; 
where the balance between gain and loss swings now to one side, now 
to the other, the lake area fluctuates; and where the annual supply 
does not equal the loss, only playas or intermittent lakes can exist. 

In this region Harney Lake is the best example of a water body 
where the first-named conditions obtain, partly because it occupies 
a deeper basin than the others, where evaporation does not cause so 
marked changes in area, and partly because it draws upon its neigh- 
boring lake to supply its own losses. For this latter reason Malheur 
Lake is an exceptionally good example of a fluctuating water body, 
for its area is affected not only by the evaporation from its own 
surface, but from that of Harney Lake as well. Since its shores slope 
very gently the seasonal variation of its surface causes marked change 
in its extent. Warner Lake is also a fluctuating one; though if 
evidence is correct that has been advanced in lawsuits over land 
acquired in its valley under the terms of the swamp-land act, this 
water body, which is broken into a number of lakes during the sum- 
mer time, has been shrinking during late years. Alvord Desert is 
the largest of the many playas or beds of temporary lakes in this 
region. In summer it is a dry, barren area ; in winter and early spring 
the melting snow and the water from the adjacent slopes render it a 
slippery mud flat. During wet years it receives overflow water 
from Alvord Lake. In the spring of 1882 it is said to have been thus 
covered to a depth of 7 inches. 

SURFACE WATER. 

DIVISIONS. 

The portion of southeastern Oregon that is shown on the recon- 
naissance map (PL II) may be divided into eight hydrographic 
basins or drainage areas, if the central plateau region of indefinite 
drainage, in which there are many small depressions that contain 
playas, be considered in this respect as a drainage area. In discus- 
sing the surf ace-water supply, the streams and springs of each basin 
will be taken up in turn, and on pages 39-41 the stream measurements 
that were made during the field work are tabulated according to their 
several drainage basins. The discharges of Silvies River and Silver 
Creek, which were computed from records obtained at the official 
gaging stations, are given on pages 31 and 34, respectively. 

HARNEY BASIN. 
AREA AND EXTENT. 

The Harney drainage basin comprises about half the area of 
Harney County, and extends from the south end of Steens Moun- 
tain northward to the base of the Strawberry Mountains, in Grant 



SUKFACE WATER. 



31 



County. On the east its limit is well marked by hilly divides, but 
in the plateau to the west and southwest its boundary is not so 
definite. From the northern timbered portion of the county there 
is considerable run-off; in the south, too, the slopes of Steens Moun- 
tain supply a number of streams. The central portion is occupied 
by Harney Valley, a wide, flat area in which lie Malheur and Harney 
lakes, and into these the greater part of the 'drainage of Harney 
County discharges. 

STREAMS. 

Silvies River, one of the main streams of this basin, has its source 
in streams that rise at the base of the Strawberry Mountains, just 
south of the divide that at this point marks the northern limit of the 
Great Basin and the beginning of drainage to John Day River. 
Emigrant Creek, which drains a part of the mountains northwest of 
Burns, joins Silvies River about 15 miles above this town. Through- 
out most of its course the river is a sluggish stream. Between Bear 
Creek Valley and Silvies Valley, and also at the lower end of the 
latter valley, it cuts through several miles of rocky canyon; but 
within the valleys it forms wide areas of meadow land. In its lower 
course, in the vicinity of Lawen, the water reaches Malheur Lake 
through a number of sloughs and drainage canals. From May 10, 
1903, until July 24, 1906, daily gage readings were recorded on this 
stream at two stations under direction of the U. S. Geological Survey. 
The upper station was near Silvies, above the mouth of Emigrant 
Creek. At the lower station, near Burns, the total flow of the stream 
was recorded. The monthly discharge, estimated from the records 
that were obtained at this station, is tabulated below. 

Estimated monthly discharge of Silvies River, near Burns, Oreg. 
[Station established May 10, 1903; discontinued July 24, 1906. Figures give total flow in acre-feet.] 



Month. 


1903.« 


1904.6 


1905. c 


1906.d 


January 




1,476 

16,390 

48,640 

146, 400 

64,990 

12,560 

3,080 

1,347 

970 

1,857 

1,964 

1,888 


« 1,608 
/500 


1 320 


February 





1,370 
4 770 


March 




April 




g 17, 800 

12,600 

4,391 

1,408 

627 

542 

861 

1,101 

965 


75 000 


May.... 


h 13, 702 

6,010 

1,414 

492 

n29 

246 

2„321 

fe 1,031 


25,600 
25, 500 
i3,130 


June 


July.... 


August 


September 




October 




November 




December , 












301,600 















a From Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 100, 1904, p. 433. 

b From Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 133, 1905, p. 351. 

cFrom Water-supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 176, 1906, p. 124. 

d From Water-supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212, 1908, p. 83. 

e For 17 days. 

/ February 1 to 6, inclusive. 

g April 9 to 30, inclusive. 

Ji May 10 to 31, inclusive. 

i July 1 to 24, inclusive. 

i September 1 to 12, and 17. 

k December 1 to 26, inclusive. 



32 AVATEK RESOUECES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, 

On the south side of the Harney basin a number of streams rise in 
Steens Mountain and flow toward Malheur Lake. Nearly all of these 
are tributary to the trunk stream, Donner und Blitzen River, though 
much of their water sinks in the marsh of the lowlands before reach- 
ing that river. The streams will be mentioned in order, beginning at 
the south and proceeding northward. 

Donner und Blifzen River, the largest of the Steens Mountain 
streams, and the one to which the others are tributary, rises in the 
southern part of this great block, and after flowing in a direct course 
northwestward for 25 or 30 miles enters the lowland near the P ranch. 
Thence it continues as a sluggish stream, in some places through a 
number of sloughlike channels, the remaining 30 miles or more to 
Malheur Lake. No records of its flow have been kept, but a careful 
float measurement that was made in August, 1907, at a point about 1| 
miles above the P ranch and one-fourth mile above the mouth of its 
canyon, before its water enters the marsh land, indicated a discharge 
of approximately 45 second-feet. When compared with the dis- 
charge of Silvies River above Burns during the same month, this 
measurement indicates that Donner und Blitzen River is much the 
larger stream at that season of the year; though it may be that it 
reaches its greatest flow later than Silvies River. In its lower portion 
the current of Donner und Blitzen River is too sluggish to admit of 
even approximate float measurement, but about 5 miles above the 
point where it is joined by Kieger Creek, a stream that brings con- 
siderable water from the southeast, a rough weir measurement indi- 
cated a flow of about 55 second-feet, or somewhat less than the sum 
of the flow near the P ranch and that of the two tributary streams. 
Bridge and Krumbo creeks. 

Mud Creek rises near the crest of Steens Mountain, north of the 
upper branches of Donner und Blitzen River. Near the head of its 
drainage basin its channel is not well established, and there are several 
small lakes and marshy glades. The upper course of the stream lies 
along a narrow swale that is lightly timbered with cottonwoods, but 
below the lower limit of these trees, which is at an elevation of about 
6,000 feet, the stream has cut a gorge in the basalt slopes. Through 
this it continues westward to the marsh of Donner und Blitzen River. 
It is not a large stream, for although it flows from the higher lands it 
has few tributaries. During the summer its upper course is nearly 
dry, while at its entrance to the marsh land the flow is onl}^ 10 or 15 
miner's inches. 

Bridge Creek joins Mud Creek at the edge of the marsh land along 
Donner und Blitzen River. It is only a few miles in length, and its 
grassy bottom and large flow, about 12 second-feet, indicate that it is 
supplied by constant springs of large volume. .A couple of miles 



SUEFACE WATER. 33 

north of this creek springs rise that yield a flow of 80 or 90 miner's 
inches, but the water barely reaches the edge of the marsh. 

There is a wide stream channel 3 miles north of Bridge Creek, but 
it was dry in August, 1907, and seemed mainly a flood-water channel. 

Krumbo Creek, at the point where the road between the Diamond 
ranch and the P ranch crosses it, was carrying about 5^ second-feet of 
water in August, 1907. Above this point its canyon is narrow and is 
cut perhaps 100 feet below the plateau surface; below where the road 
crosses it, the stream flows through meadow land to the marsh of 
Donner und Blitzen River. This creek also probably is supplied 
largely by springs, for its drainage area does not warrant so great a 
summer flow. 

McCoy Creek rises near the head of Mud Creek, in a wide swale, 
and flows north and northwest in a well-developed canyon to the 
foot of the mountain slope. In its upper portion this canyon is 300 to 
500 feet deep. It has steep but not precipitous sides, and cotton- 
woods grow along the banks of the creek. In its lower portion the 
canyon walls are cliffs not much over 100 feet in height, between 
which the stream flows in a flat-bottomed meadow 100 yards wide. 
Through this it maintains a fair grade until it reaches the marsh land. 
Along the sides of its canyon numerous springs rise and materially 
increase the flow of the creek. The discharge of McCoy Creek, when 
roughly measured in August, 1907, about 2 miles above the Diamond 
ranch, was about 3^ second-feet. 

Cucamonga Creek lies upon the strip of plateau between the nearly 
parallel canyons of McCoy and Kieger creeks. For most of its length 
its channel follows a wide gentle swale, but about 4 miles above the 
Diamond ranch it has cut down into the rocks and drops 300 feet 
in less than a mile. Thence it meanders to the marsh through 
meadow land bordered by cliffs. Its summer flow is small, being 
only 10 or 15 miner's inches. 

The upper course of Kieger Creek, the next stream to the north, 
has been well described by Russell, whose words are quoted on 
page 28. From the junction of the two branches of this creek, 6 
miles above Diamond, to the open marsh, the stream meanders along 
a channel thickly overhung with willows and other water-loving 
bushes, through a strip of meadow similar to that of McCoy and 
Cucamonga creeks. Its measured summer flow was about 9 second- 
feet. 

Swamp Creek, near Diamond, is a small stream that flows during 
only a part of the year. In summer it is dry along its lower course, 
but water is usually to be found in its upper portion. 

The last four streams that have been mentioned enter the marsh 
land that extends southeastward to Diamond, and flow through it 
74385— iRR 231—09 3 



34 



WATEK RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 



in several natural channels and in drainage canals to join Donner 
und Blitzen River. 

Smith Creek and Riddle Creek unite in Happy Valley, which is 
8 or 9 miles northeast of Diamond, and flow northward and westward 
to Barton Lake. This lake is a long narrow water body that was 
probably formed by the damming of the stream course by the lava 
from Diamond Craters. The lake varies much in size with the sea- 
son, and while there is no present surface outlet, the spring overflow 
water is locally believed to reach Malheur Lake through an under- 
ground channel. A deep crack in the basalt, a foot or two in width 
at the surface, at the western high-water line of the lake is locally 
considered to be the entrance to this channel. The summer flow of 
the two streams that unite to supply this lake varies with the amount 
of water that is taken out for irrigation along their upper courses. 
In August, 1907, the flow at the wagon bridge a mile east of Barton 
Lake was about 60 miner's inches, but in October the flow was only 
about half this amount. 

Silver Creek is the larger of the two streams that enter Harney 
Valley on its western side. It drains the southwestern slopes of the 
mountains north of Riley. After emerging from its canyon approx- 
imately 15 miles above this place, it flows in a general southeasterly 
course to Harney Lake. Within its canyon it is a perennial stream 
of considerable flow, but it usually becomes dry below Riley, in early 
summer. From the head of the valley of Silver Creek to Harney 
Lake, its channel has a gentle grade and extends through alluvial land 
nearly the entire distance. During 1904 and parts of 1905 and 1906, 
daily gage readings were noted on this stream near the mouth of 
its canyon, under the direction of the U. S. Geological Survey. The 
monthly discharge as computed from these readings is tabulated 

below. 

Estimated monthly discharge of Silver Creek near Riley, Oreg. 

[Station established April 19, 1904; discontinued July 14, 1906. Figures give total flow in acre-feet.] 



Month. 


a 1904. 


b 1905. 


fl906. 




615 

1,150 

27, 670 

55,640 

12,670 

2,303 

3,333 

357 

155 

141 

369 

885 


3.616 
2.327 
7,870 
6,545 
3, 136 
922 




February 


2,150 


March 


5,690 


April 


25, 900 


May 


5,070 


June . 


7,320 


July 


d805 








September 






October 












December 














105,300 






* 







a From Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 133, 1905, p. 354. Discharge estimated January 1 to 
April 14 and July 17 to September 9, inclusive. During latter part of year, gage heights estimated for miss- 
ing days. 

>> From Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 176, 1906, p. 127. Records fragmentary after July 
8, as there was no regular observer. Creek was dry in August, September, and the greater part of July, 

c From Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 212, 1906, p. 85. 

d July 1 to 14, inclusive. 



SURFACE WATER. 35 

The spring flood water from this creek spreads over and irrigates 
many acres of natural hay land along its lower course, and also sup- 
plies Silver Lake. 

Sagehen Creek, the other stream that enters Harney Valley from 
the west, joins West Fork of Silvies River about 8 miles south of 
Burns. Its summer supply comes mainly from springs that rise 
along lower Cold Spring Creek and in the marsh land below the mouth 
of this stream. Through this saturated ground Sagehen Creek is a 
sluggish stream of which no satisfactory measurement could be made. 
In the lower portion of Willow Creek, a tributary to its upper course, 
a little water was standing during the summer of 1907, but there was 
no appreciable flow. 

Along the northern and eastern sides of Harney Valley there are a 
number of small streams that flow during only a part of the year. 
Of these. Rattlesnake Creek, just east of Harney, is the largest. Its 
bed was dry near Harney in August, 1907, but 3 miles above this 
town it was flowing about 20 miner's inches. 

SPRINGS. 

Within Harney Valley there are a number of springs that from 
their size and the constancy of their flow may properly be mentioned 
here. Of these, the springs in Warm Spring Valley, at and near the 
Double O ranch, have by far the greatest flow. Eight springs rise 
in this lowland west of Harney Lake, the six largest of which issue 
at the base of bluffs that border the south edge of the valley. 
Their water is noticeably warmer than that of the shallow wells of 
the region. The combined flow of the largest springs, which are 
near the Double O ranch house, is 25 or 30 second-feet. The charac- 
ter of these springs and their significance in respect to underground 
water conditions will be discussed in speaking of artesian possibili- 
ties in the Harney basin. 

At Sodhouse, 6 miles e^st of Narrows, there is a spring similar 
to the springs of Warm Spring Valley. The water issues at the base 
of a low hill, where it forms a pool about 75 yards across, and joins 
Donner und Blitzen River in the marsh land bordering Malheur Lake. 
An approximate summation of the flow from the many small streams 
that issue around the border of this pool is 100 miner's inches, while 
several springs that rise within it probably increase the total flow to 
twice or three times this amount. 

Springs similar to those just described issue at two points from the 
base of a hill about 3 miles south of Burns. From these two localities 
a constant flow of about 30 miner's inches is supplied to the marsh 
land. Of like character are the springs along Sagehen Creek, which 
have already been mentioned. These rise in the marsh land of its 
lower course and greatly increase the flow of the stream. 



36 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

CATLOW BASIN. 
STREAMS. 

In the southern portion of the plateau lying southwest of the Har- 
ney basin the run-off water drains toward Catlow Valley, as the 
lowest portion of the basin in the southern part of the county is 
called. The longest stream channel within the Catlow basin is that 
of Kock Creek, which rises at the northern base of Warner Mountain 
and flows northeastward. Water flows to the sink of this stream only 
until early summer. In September, 1907, a flow of 20 or 25 miner's 
inches reached Steve Young's, on its upper course, near where the 
road to Plush crosses the creek, but below this point there were only 
a few pools along its channel. 

On the east side of the basin three streams, Home, Threemile, and 
Skull creeks, which rise in the slopes of Steens Mountain, flow west- 
ward to the valley land, in which their waters sink. The two former 
supply a shallow lake that lies well out on the valley floor. 

SPRINGS. 

At Roaring Springs ranch, on the east side of the basin, a constant 
flow of water issues from a number of springs part way up the bluff, 
and irrigates the meadow it has produced on the edge of the lowland. 
A number of similar springs, but of smaller flow, have formed another 
patch of meadow land farther south, at the HL ranch. 

The total summer flow of the three creeks and two groups of springs 
on this side of the valley is between 15 and 20 second-feet. The dis- 
charge of the several streams is given on page 40. 

ALVORD BASIN. 
STREAMS. 

For convenience in discussing its drainage the great sunken area 
that extends along the eastern base of Steens Mountain will be termed 
the Alvord basin. This consists of several minor lake basins, but 
structurally it is a single depression or basin. 

In the Alvord basin a number of small streams that are supplied by 
melting snow from Steens Mountain cascade down its escarpment to 
the lowland. The largest quantity of water, however, comes from 
the southeast through Trout Creek, which furnishes the main supply 
of Alvord Lake. This stream rises near the southeastern corner of 
Harney County, and drains a considerable area of upland in the 
Whitehorse Mountains and Trout Creek Hills, which furnish it a 
perennial supply. There are two smaller lake basins, those of Juniper 
and Mann lakes, which also lie within the Alvord basin, but are sepa- 
rated from the drainage to Alvord Lake by low alluvial divides. Mann 



SURFACE WATER. 37 

Lake receives its supply principally from the mountain stream enter- 
ing its southern end, while Juniper Lake is supplied chiefly by a 
similar stream that enters it from the north. 

SPRINGS. 

Within the Alvord basin there are three springs whose flow is suffi- 
cient to warrant mention in connection with the surface water supply. 
The largest of these is a hot spring at the borax works south of Alvord 
Lake. Here a pool about 275 yards in diameter has been formed 
around several vents at this place, and a nearly constant flow of about 
100 miner's inches is discharged through a ditch on its western edge. 
From one-quarter to one-half mile north of the borax works there are 
a number of other hot springs, which yield a considerable supply of 
water, but one whose quantity is hard to determine, for there is no 
well-defined stream channel, but rather a series of pools from which 
the water rapidly sinks again into the alluvium. On the western edge 
of Alvord Desert there is another hot spring, which yields about 15 
miner's inches. The third and perhaps the most valuable spring in 
this bksin, because of the quality of its water and its favorable loca- 
tion for purposes of irrigation, is that near Serrano Point, southeast 
of Andrews, on the ranch of Mr. A. C. Bustamante. This yields a 
constant flow of about 25 miner's inches of water. 

WHITEHORSE BASIN. 

On the southeastern edge of Harney County, east of the Alvord 
basin, there is a shallow basin in which lie Willow and Whitehorse 
creeks. Both of these streams rise in the Whitehorse Hills and flow 
in a direct course northward to their common sink. Willow Creek 
is much the larger, having a flow of about 70 miner's inches in Sep- 
tember, 1907, while Whitehorse Creek at this time carried only about 
10 inches. 

MALHEUR RIVER DRAINAGE. 

The mountains east of the Harney basin are drained by a number 
of small intermittent streams that are tributary to Malheur River. 
Crane Creek is the largest of these, and to it the other streams of this 
part of the watershed are tributary. In its lower portion it is known 
as South Fork of Malheur River. It rises near the eastern edge of 
the Harney basin, flows south, then swings through an easterly 
to a northerly course, and joins Middle Fork of Malheur River near 
Riverside. In August, 1907, Crane Creek was dry in the valley of 
its upper course, but about 5 miles below this valley a stream of 5 or 
10 miner's inches was flowing. All of its tributaries were dry or 
nearly so in their lower courses. The area that is drained by Camp 
and Indian creeks is tributary to Crane Creek, but during the summer 



88 WATEK EESOtJilCES OF HAEHEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

there is no surface accession to the latter stream from this southern 
area. The flow of the two streams is consumed in irrigating a belt of 
hay land between their junction and Venator post-office. 

The main summer supply to South Fork of Malheur River is from 
several springs that rise close to its banks. The largest of these is at 
Mr. Chris Dennean's, about a mile above the mouth of Coleman Creek, 
where a large spring rises within a few yards of the river channel. A 
careful float measurement of the stream flowing from it indicated a 
discharge of nearly 200 miner's inches. Near this spring two small 
flows issue from the opposite bank of the river, while a few hundred 
yards downstream another spring contributes about 25 miner's 
inches. Near the mouth of Swamp Creek two similar springs add 30 
or 40 inches more to the flow of the river. Perhaps 7 or 8 second-feet 
represents the approximate summer flow of South Fork of Malheur 
River, where it turns eastward and crosses the county line. 

WARNER LAKE DRAINAGE. 

In the portion of the Warner Lake basin included in the area 
mapped on Plate II there are no perennial streams. Mule Spring is 
an old well dug in the dry bed of a canyon, near the northern end of 
this basin, along a former military route. From its neighborhood a 
flood-water channel trends southward to the lake. Other similar 
channels carry part of the spring run-off from this region, but during 
the later months of the year water is lacking over most of the basin 

PLATEAU REGION. 

In the area lying between Harney and Warner lakes, which may 
be termed the plateau region, the drainage is only slightly developed. 
There are no perennial streams and few well-defined water courses 
within it. A wide coulee-like depression, along which the road 
passes between Buzzard Canyon and Mule Spring, contains a suc- 
cession of playas that are collecting basins for the melting snow and 
the scanty rainfall, but no well-defined drainage channel has been 
cut along its bottom. Buzzard Canyon contains a more definite 
channel, which is tributary to Harney Valley, and during the spring 
run-ofl it carries some water to the alkaline flat east of Iron Moun- 
tain. For the most part, however, the drainage of this plateau is 
separated into a number of small basins such as that in the lowest 
part of which Walls Lake is situated. 

GUANO LAKE BASIN. 

The valley of Guano Lake was not visited by the writer, and 
little can here be said of its drainage except that Warner Creek, 
which rises near Warner Mountain, is the principal stream of the 
basin, and that this stream is dry in its lower course during the 
summer months. 



SURFACE WATER. 



39 



TABLES OF FLOW. 

The streams and springs that were visited and measured during 
the reconnaissance have been tabulated below, that some idea may 
be obtained of their relative size and of the amount of water that is 
available. These are but single measurements, mostly rough ap- 
proximations by the float method, and were made at a season when 
many of the steams are at their lowest stage; but in the absence of 
better data they are all that can be presented at this time in regard 
to the surface water supply of the region. The discharges of Silvies 
River and Silver Creek, the only two streams on which systematic 
measurements have been made, are given in an earlier part of this 
paper (pp. 31, 34). The locations of the several springs, and the 
points at which the streams were measured, are shown on Plate III. 

Estimates of flow in the Harney basin region, Oregon, during the summer of 1907. 

HARNEY BASIN. 




Num- 
ber, a 



101 
102 

103 

104 

105 
106 
107 
108 
109 
110 



201 
202 
203 
204 
205 
206 
207 
208 



STREAMS. 

August 3 Rattlesnake Creek, 3 miles above Harney 

August 26 Smith Creek, at wagon bridge, 1 mile east of Barton 

Lake. 
November 1... Donner und Blitzen River, 3 miles south of Buena 
, Vista ranch. 

August 28 1 Donner und Blitzen River, IJ miles above the P 

ranch. 

August 30 Mud Creek, near mouth of canyon 

do Bridge Creek, at mouth of canyon 

August 27 Krumbo Creek, at road crossing 

do McCoy Creek, 2 miles above Diamond ranch 

August 25 Cucamonga Creek, at head of its meadow 

August 24 Kieger Creek, 1 mile above Diamond. 



August 

do. 

August 
....do. 



210 
211 
212 
213 
214 



August 
August 
August 

August 
August 
July 28 
....do. 
July 29 
August 



20. 



215 ! July 29. 
' July 30. 
July 29. 



216 
217 

218 
219 
220 



SPRINGS. 



52 

56 
78 to 80 



dl22 



3^ miles northwest of Burns 

1 mile west of Burns (M. L. Lewis, owner) 

3 miles south of Bums 

3.^ miles south of Bums 

Along Sagehen Creek 

2 miles north of Harriman 

North side of Crane Creek Gap 

Sec. 29, T. 25 S., R. 31 E.; developed spring (Mr, 

Newell, owner). 
Sec. 7, T. 25 S., R. 31 E. (developed) ! 52 

4 miles west of Dog Mountain (Mr. Weaver, ovraer).' 51 

At southern edge of Silver Lake I 68 

3i miles east of Iron Mountain 68 

3 miles northwest of the Doulile O ranch ! 

At the Sodhouse, 6 miles east of Narrows I 53 to 56 



I mile northwest of the Double O ranch 

1 mile west of the Double O ranch 

I mile northeast of the Double O ranch (sum of 
flow of two canals). 

1 mile southeast of the Double O ranch 

1| miles southeast of the Double O ranch 

2i miles southeast of the Double O ranch 



56 



72 



67 to 73 

72 



0.4 
1.2 

55 

45 

.3 

12 

5.5 

3.5 

.3 



c.6or.8 

12.5 
20 



4 

2 

.1 or .2 



a These numbers correspond to the numbers on Plate III. 

6 The miner's inch used here is 9 gallons a minute, or gV second-foot. 

c Estimated. 

d This is the temperature given by Russell, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 252, p. 41. 



20 
60 

2,750 

2,250 

15 
600 
275 
175 

15 
450 



1 

2 

10 

20 

clOO 

20 

1± 

1 

No flow 

2 

5± 

1± 

1± 

200 or 
250 

(■30 or 40 

625 
1,000 

200 

100 

5 or 10 



40 



WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 



Estimates of flow in the Harney basin region, Oregon, during the summer of 1907 — Con. 
HARNEY BASIN— Continued. 



Num- 
ber. 


Date, 1907. 




Tem- 
perature. 


Discharge. 


Second- 
feet. 


Miner's 
inches. 


221 


July 29. . 


SPRINGS— continued. 
3 miles southeast of the Double ranch 


e F. 

68 


0.5 
.9 

.4 


25 


222 


do 

August 19 

do 

September 16.. 
July- 

November 1 . . . 

August 27 

do 

August 28 

August 30 


4 miles southeast of the Double ranch 


45 


223 


5 mile southeast of Harney Lake 


134 to 150 

65 


20' 


224 




1 


225 


At west edge of lava from Diamond Craters 


l± 


226 
227 


Buzzard Spring, in plateau southeast of Harney 
Lake. 


78 


a. 3 

4 
1.4 

.4 or .6 
.1 


a 15 
200 


228 


4 miles northeast of the P ranch 


70 


229 


1 mile northeast of the P ranch 


83 
89 


2 


230 


1 mile southwest of the P ranch 


20 or 30 


231 


At lake near summit of Steens Mountain 


5 











CATLOW BASIN. 



September 3 . . 
September 1 . . 
September 6 . . 
October 30 



August 31 . . . 
September 3 . 



September 6 . 



Rock Creek, at Steve Young's 

Home Creek, at mouth of canyon . 
Threemile Creek, at road crossing. 
Skull Creek, near road crossing. . . 



Roaring Springs, at Roaring Springs ranch; total 
flow of numerous springs. 

On upper Rock Creek 

At Beattys Butte; five small springs 

Near HL ranch; ten small springs 



59 
105 to il5 



0.5 
3 

4.5 
5 



.1 or. 2 
.lor .2 
.5 



ALVORD BASIN. 



STREAMS. 



September 14. 

do 

do 

do 

do 

September 13 . 

September 12. 

do 

do 

do 

September 9.. 

Septembers.. 



Septembers. 

September 12. 

do 

September 11. 

September 7 . . 

do 

October 29... 

October 27 . . . 



2 miles north of Juniper Lake 

4 miles south of Juniper Lake 

4 miles north of Mann Lake 

11 miles north of F. Miranda's 

At F. Miranda's 

1 mile west of the Alvord ranch 

2 miles south of the Alvord ranch 

4 miles south of the Alvord ranch 

2 miles north of Andrews 

Wildhorse Creek, 2 miles north of Andrews. 

Trout Creek, c at mouth of canyon 

Mineral Creek, i mile west of Denio 



Near divide on road between Juniper Lake and 

Mule ranch ("Summit Spring"). 
3 miles south of the Alvord ranch (boxed and used as 

domestic supply). 

At west edge of Alvord Desert 

2i miles southeast of Andrews (Mr. A. C. Bustamante, 

owner). 

I to J mile north of the borax works 

At borax works 

At roadside, near divide between Alvord and Catlow 

valleys. 
On north side of Trout Creek, ^ mile below mouth of 

Little Trout Creek. 



0.3 



.3 

.3 

1.3 

,lor.2 







56 




168 to 177 
56 


.3 
.5 


82 to 97(?) 
55 


(«) 
2 


128 


1 



a From statement of F. M. Anderson, geologist. 
b Reported. 

c A measurement on June 15, 1907, near the Trout Creek ranch, is said to have shown a flow of 2,200 miner's 
inches. 
d Near the boiling point, 
e Not measurable. 



XJNDERGROtTND WATER. 



41 



Estimates of flow in the Harney basin region, Oregon, during the summer of 1907 — Con. 

WHITEHORSE BASIN. 



Num- 
ber. 



Date, 1907. 



Tem- 
perature. 



Discharge. 



Second- 



Miner's 
inches. 



127 
128 



244 
245 



September 10.. 
do 



STREAMS. 



Willow Creek, at road crossing 

Whitehorse Creek, at road crossing . 



5 miles northeast of Flagstaff Butte (seeping springs) . 
^ mile east of No. 244 



to 100 



2 or 3 

3 or 4 



MALHEUR RIVER DRAINAGE. 



129 



246 
247 
248 
249 
250 
251 
252 
253 



August 5. 



August 7. 
August 6. 
x.-do.. . 
August 8. 
August 6. 
August 5. 

do... 

do... 



Crane Creek, 2 miles below mouth of Gorman Creek 

SPRINGS. 



Warm Spring Valley, sec. 23, T. 22 S., R. 36 E 

Sec. 2, T. 25 S., R. 36 E. (Chris Dennean, owner). 

I mile east of No. 247 

2h miles southwest of No. 247 (seeping springs) 

Near mouth of Swamp Creek 

On north side of Crane Creek canyon 

On west edge of Crane Creek valley 

Sec. 10, T. 25 S., R. 34 E. (Developed) 



138 to 144 
58 
58 

104 to 108 



0.2 



6 or, 



10 

200 

25 

10 

I or 40 

1+ 

1+ 

1+ 



WARNER LAKE DRAINAGE. 



254 Mule Spring (an old military well). 



(a) (a) 



a No summer flow. 



UNDERGROUND WATER. 



DIVISIONS OF UNDERGROUND WATER. 

Underground water may be considered in two broad divisions: 
Ground water, or that which exists in unconsoHdated material, such 
as the alluvium of stream valleys, the sediments of lake basins, and 
the soil and rock waste of areas where the underlying rock has decayed 
in place; and rock water, or that which is present in the underlying 
rocks themselves. The zone of the former extends from the upper 
surface of saturation, the ground-water level, to bed rock, while the 
deeper water is present in the bed rock down to a depth below which, 
because of heat and pressure, meteoric water does not circulate. 
This lower limit has been theoretically placed at about 6 miles below 
the surface. In general, rock water is found at a much greater depth 
than is that of the surficial deposits, but in many places there is no 
definite line of division between the two classes, the unconsolidated 
surface deposits passing by easy gradations into the consolidated 



42 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

rock below. It is therefore not always possible accurately to clas- 
sify underground water, and the supply of many wells is as rightly 
considered to be from one source as from the other. In few places is 
the division between these two classes of water as sharply defined as 
it is in the Harney basin region by the surface of the lava flows. 
Within the lavas is the rock water, while in the valleys upon the 
lava bed rock lie the very different deposits of unconsolidated lake 
sediments and alluvium in which ground water is found. 

GROUND WATER. 
UNCONSOLIDATED MATERIAL. 

The depth to which unconsolidated material may accumulate de- 
pends mainly upon climatic, structural, and topographic conditions. 
When streams bring down quantities of debris from mountain slopes 
and debouch upon valley lands, where the current becomes slower, 
the streams drop the greater part of their loads, and alluvial cones or 
fans are built up. Where streams empty into lakes, deltas are formed 
by similar deposition, while over the lake bottoms there are formed 
more even layers of material that was held longer in suspension by 
the inflowing water. 

In many desert regions the wind, when it has been checked by 
mountain ranges or by contrary air currents, has deposited a deep 
loose layer composed of fine material picked up elsewhere. When 
laden with particles of sand and dust, it may also wear down exposed 
cliffs and peaks, and thus aid in forming the surface deposits of the 
lowlands. 

In regions that are covered by residual soil the depth to which rock 
decay has taken place varies between wide limits. Over arid pla- 
teaus such soil may be only a few inches in depth, or in some parts 
entirely lacking, while in regions of great rainfall, especially within 
the tropics, rock decay may extend downward for several hundred feet. 

GROUND-WATER LEVEL. 

Where the loose material is of sufficient depth, seepage from stream 
channels and the direct supply by precipitation keep it saturated 
below a depth that is known as the ground-water level. This level 
varies with the supply of underground water, rising toward the sur- 
face as the supply increases and falling as it decreases. Its surface 
is closely related to the surface of the ground, to which it conforms 
in a general way, but it does not rise so high in the uplands and may 
not drop so far in the lowlands. Consequently along the sides of 
deep valleys and canyons the land surface in many places intersects 
the plane of the ground water, and springs result. These dry up 



UKDERGROUND WATER. 43 

when the water level drops below the surface of the ground and in- 
crease their flow when it rises so as to produce greater head at the 
springs. 

Within Harney County the ground-water level is at a shallow depth 
in all the lake valleys, and also in the smaller alluvial basins of the 
plateau regions. It is from this source that the shallow wells of the 
valley lands obtain their supply, while within the mountain portions 
many intermittent springs that issue along the canyon sides show 
where the ground-water level is intersected by the steep slopes. 

ROCK WATER. 

Relatively porous beds of rock, such as sandstone, underlie many 
regions and are the main sources of their water supply. Under the 
most favorable conditions these beds form the surface in other parts 
of the country, and directly absorb rain and melting snow; but in 
many places they are supplied with water chiefly by seepage down- 
ward through the overlying material. 

The tuffaceous beds that are associated with the basalts of southern 
Oregon become excellent water carriers where their higher portions 
are exposed so as to collect rain and melting snow, and are an impor- 
tant source of the underground water supply. At Burns many of 
the wells pass through a surface layer of compact tuff to a more 
porous layer, in which a good supply of water is obtained. This is a 
rock water, since it is obtained from a bedded structural formation, 
although most of the wells are less than 100 feet deep, and the supply 
is probably from direct precipitation on the slopes to the northwest. 

ARTESIAN CONDITIONS. 

Since the time when the term '^ artesian" was first applied to flow- 
ing wells, from their notable occurrence near Artois, in Franco, the 
word has been used chiefly in reference to wells in which the water 
is under sufficient pressure to cause it to overflow at the surface. 
Within the past few years, h(iwever, there has been a looser use of the 
word, and it has sometimes been applied to any deep well, whether 
sunk for oil or water. Better usage, however, restricts it to those 
wells in which the water is under sufficient pressure to cause it to rise 
notably above the depth at which it is struck, whether or not it over- 
flows at the surface. In this sense it will be used in the following 
discussion. 

Since the publication in 1885 of the excellent paper by Chamberlin^ 
the typical trough-shaped or saucer-shaped basin, or alluvial artesian 
slope, has often been considered essential to artesian conditions. 

aChamberlin, T. C, Requisite and qualifying conditions of artesian wells: Fifth Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. 
Survey, 1885, pp. 12&-173. 



44 

In a typical structural artesian area the underlying rocks are com- 
posed of alternate pervious and impervious beds, folded so as to 
form an inclosed basin. Water that penetrates to the pervious beds 
is confined within them by the impervious layers above and below, 
and the head produced on the water in the lower portions of these 
underground reservoirs by that in their upper parts, around the border 
of the basin, is sufficient to cause the water to rise in wells put down 
in the lowest parts of the basin. 

Although the rocks of Harney County are of effusive origin, and 
so would not seem at first thought to furnish such conditions of bed- 
ding and structure as are demanded of artesian basins, yet the lava 
sheets interbedded with porous tuffs do give the alternation of per- 
vious and impervious layers that produces artesian conditions. Four 
of the valleys of this region are to some extent synclinal or saucer- 
like in structure, and this feature will be treated in detail in consider- 
ing the water possibilities jn them. 

In many places alluvium and sediments deposited in former lakes 
have filled valleys with alternating layers of coarse and fine material, 
that ofteii act essentially as pervious and impervious beds in the 
production of artesian head on the underground water. The current 
of a stream that flows down from mountain slopes is checked on 
entering the lowlands or on discharging into a lake, hence it drops a 
great part of its load of sand and gravel and other alluvial material. 
This is largely assorted by the continued slowing of the current, and 
the coarser particles are dropped first, while the finer are held longer 
in suspension. In this manner layers of coarse and fine material are 
deposited that thin out down the slope into wedgelike sheets. The 
layers of fine material act as relatively impervious beds, confining 
water that seeps downward mainly to the coarser layers. These 
layers, by virtue of their slope toward the lowest portion of the 
alluvial cone, or of the lake basin, produce a head on the water thus 
confined that is in many localities sufficient to supply flowing wells 
when the water-bearing strata are properly tapped. 

In certain parts of Harney and Alvord valleys conditions are favor- 
able to the development of artesian water in the valley fillings, and 
flowing water has been developed in them to a slight extent. The 
successful wells and their locations are described in the detailed dis- 
cussion of these valleys. 

Although the most important areas where artesian water is found 
belong to one or the other of the typical classes, many artesian wells 
and even some flowing wells are obtained in regions that do not 
have the major structural features, but in which local factors, such 
as fissures and minor folds, produce artesian conditions in limited 
areas. 



WATER EESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 45 

CONSERVATION OF THE WATER SUPPLY. 

In concluding the general discussion of the surface and under- 
ground water supply of this region a few words may be said about 
the character of the drainage basins and the relation of forests and 
other protective growths on the mountain slopes to the flow of the 
streams. 

In most of the streams of the area studied the discharge is at the 
maximum in the early spring, and is of short duration; and through- 
out the summer, when water is most needed, many of the streams are 
dry. In the absence of storage reservoirs the higher brushy and 
forested areas are the only places where the winter supply of water is 
conserved, by which the later stream flow is prolonged. The greater 
part of the drainage basins of Silvies River and of Silver Creek still 
have their natural protection of open forest, since lumbering has not 
yet become extensive in this remote' section; but even on these 
streams the records that have been kept show how irregular the dis- 
charge is, and emphasize the desirability of preserving the naturally 
scanty covering of trees. In this respect it is gratifying to note the 
thick growth of young trees in many parts of the forested slopes on 
the northern side of the Harney basin. Farther south the slopes are 
protected mainly by brush and the lower growth of grasses. In 
Steens Mountain, the Whitehorse Mountains, and the Trout Creek 
Hills, the injury to this already scanty protection by the overgrazing 
of bands of sheep is becoming very apparent, as it is in many other 
parts of the Northwest, and it is to be regretted that these areas 
have not been incorporated into National Forests, if only for the 
purpose of limiting the number of sheep allowed to graze within 
them. It was reported that there were 128,000 sheep in the White- 
horse Mountains during 1907, and that some of the herders were 
cutting down the cottonwood trees so that the animals might 
browse on their leaves and twigs. The diminution in the flow of 
Trout Creek, caused by so many animals feeding along its upper 
course, was said to be very apparent. 

The supply of underground water is also dependent for its con- 
stancy upon the accession to it throughout the year of water from 
the mountain slopes. In some parts of the United States, notably 
in southern California, the conservation of the winter rainfall in 
the high mountains and its continual seepage to the lower lands 
are of vital interest to those who pump water for irrigation. While 
it is probable that not for many years to come will the underground 
water supply in the valleys of Harney County be seriously affected 
by conditions on the surrounding slopes, yet the following two in- 
stances show that there is a very appreciable flow of the shallow 
subsurface water, and that its supply may easily be influenced by 



46 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

storage conditions on the mountains. In summer, during the low 
stage of Silvies River, many seepage springs appear along its western 
bank, which seem to be best explained as due to eastward seepage 
of the underground water. At Harney it was reported that in one 
well near the bank of Rattlesnake Creek the water stands within 2 or 
3 feet of the surface in summer, but in winter, when the ground 
freezes and stops the subsurface flow, it drops to about 15 feet. 

DETAILS OF THE SEVERAL BASINS. 

HARNEY BASIN. 
LOCATION AND SURFACE CHARACTER. 

The central part of Harney County is occupied by a wide, flat, 
alluvial area that is known as the Harney basin. This term is usu- 
ally applied to the valley lands and is not here meant to include 
the entire drainage basin. The main part of this basin is occupied 
by the rudely square Harney Valley, which is 20 to 30 miles across. 
Portions of the valley that extend outward along stream courses, 
or are partially separated from the main area by hills, have local 
names, such as Happy Valley and Warm Spring Valley. 

On the north, gentle slopes rise from the basin's edge to the Straw- 
berry Mountains; on the northeast the steeper slopes of Crow Camp 
Hills border the valley land; while southward and westward it 
stretches to the base of Steens Mountain and to the high desert 
beyond Harney Lake and Iron Mountain. Within its borders a few 
isolated buttes rise, such as Saddle Butte, near Lawen; while pro- 
jecting fingers, such as Wrights Point, extend into it and break the 
monotony of the wide level expanse. 

LAKES. 

In the southern portion of the Harney Valley lie Harney and Mal- 
heur lakes, two large water bodies that occupy the lowest part of the 
basin. These lakes were formerly separated by a sand spit about 4 
miles northwest of Narrows, but it is said that in 1877, during a 
period of high water, this barrier was broken through, and Mal- 
heur Lake is now united with the western and slightly lower water 
surface by a strait 50 or 75 yards wide. 

The water of Malheur Lake is comparatively fresh, while that of 
Harney Lake is strongly alkaline. This fact has been commented 
upon by Russell," who cites it as an interesting example of the fresh- 
ening of one lake by overflow into another. It would seem that the 
barrier, which separated the lakes prior to 1877 was only a tem- 

a Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of soutliwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. U. S. Geol. 
Survey No. 217, 1903, p. 31. 



HAENEY BASIN. 47 

porary one, since connection between the two lakes for a long period 
was probably required to render the eastern one now fresh and the 
other strongly alkaline. The following analysis of water from Harney 
Lake, collected August 5, 1902, is taken from Russell's paper'.^ 

Analysis of the water of Harney Lake, Oregon. 
[Parts per million. Analyst, George Steiger.] 

Silica (Si02) 28. 7 

Aluminum (Al) None. 

Iron (Fe) None. 

Magnesium (Mg) 6. 8 

Calcium (Ca) None. 

Sodium (Na) 3, 604. 5 

Potassium (K) 192. 8 

Carbon trioxide (CO3) 2, 974. 7 

Hydrogen (H) required in formation of bicarbonate 32. 3 

Surphuric anhydride (SO4) 773. 3 

Chlorine (CI) - 2, 771. 3 

Bromine (Br) None. 

Iodine (I) None. 

Boracic acid (B4O7) - 92. 8 

Total 10, 477. 2 

Specific gravity, 1.081. 

Note. — Reaction strongly alkaline. The computation shows that no free carbonic 
acid is present above that required to form bicarbonates. 

Of this analysis he says: 

Judging from the analysis given above, the most abundant salts contained in the 
lake waters are sodium chloride or common salt, sodium carbonate or bicarbonate, 
and sodium sulphate. Potash and borax are present, but as the total amount of 
saline matter in solution is only 1.04 per cent by weight, the lake waters can not 
be considered as being of commercial value. . 

The seasonal variation in the water level of Malheur Lake and the 
consequent change in its area have already been mentioned. The 
record of gage readings that were taken at the wagon bridge at 
Narrows under direction of the U. S. Geological Survey shows that 
this change in level during 1903, 1904, and 1905 was in excess 
respectively of 4.3, 5.7, and 3.05 feet, the lake surface being highest 
in May and June and lowest in January and February. At low 
water the strait at the gage was dry, so that the total change in level 
was not recorded at this station. 

SETTLEMENTS. 

In 1907 there were four settlements in Harney Valley, at Burns, 
Harney, Lawen, and Narrows. These are connected with each other 
by good wagon roads and by telephone lines. Burns, the county 

a Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of soutii western Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. U. S.Gepl, 
Survey No. 217, 1903, p. 31. 



48 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

seat, is the center of trade for the valley, but at the smaller places, 
supplies and hotel and livery accommodations can be obtained. 
Within the past two years a great part of the valley land has been 
filed upon by new settlers, as homesteads and as desert claims, so that 
many small houses now dot it and the sagebrush is being cleared off. 
The land north and east of Dog Mountain, in the region known as 
Sunset Valley, was being settled most rapidly in the summer of 
1907. In the area south of Harriman post-office, and also in the 
neighborhood of Windy Point, a number of settlers had taken up 
claims, while along the borders of the valley east of Harney there 
was another scattered group of new homes. 

AGRICULTURE. 

Ever since the natural resources of this region first made it a 
grazing country the valley lands as well as the plateaus have been 
devoted mainly to stock raising, and agricultural development has 
been limited chiefly to the increase of the natural hay lands by the 
construction of irrigation ditches and the use of the flood water. 
The belt of natural hay land along lower Silver Creek has been 
greatly widened by this means, and between Burns and Harney a 
large acreage that is irrigated by overflow water from Silvies River 
and from streams along the northern side of the valley produces 
crops of wild hay. But the natural grasses of these lowlands are 
mainly species of tules and flags, in which there is little nourishment, 
and unless an animal is in fair condition in the fall, even though it 
has access to the haystacks, it may not survive a severe winter. 

Along the borders of Malheur Lake, in the vicinity of Narrows, the 
more alkaline soil yields a fair .crop of salt-grass hay, which, though 
coarse, is more nutritious than the tule grasses of the overflow lands. 
In the upper portions of the meadow lands along the several streams 
there is considerable timothy, brome, and rye grass, so that the nat- 
ural hay of these localities is better in quality than that farther 
downstream. Much of the lower marsh land is overgrown with tules 
and is covered with water during the greater part of the year. Of 
such character is the marsh or swamp land on the western border of 
Harney Lake, that along the sloughs in the neighborhood of Lawen, 
and portions of the lower course of Donner und Blitzen River and of 
the streams that enter it near the Buena Vista ranch. A few years 
ago an attempt was made to drain the portions known as the Buena 
Vista and Diamond swamps by dredging canals through their centers, 
but the yielding nature of the saturated peaty land soon allowed these 
channels to become choked up. Within the last two or three years 
ownership of these swamps has changed hands, and in the fall of 1907 



HAENEY BASIN. 49 

a second attempt was being made to reclaim them, this time by dredg- 
ing canals along their borders. A dipper dredge of IJ cubic yards 
capacity was in use, and a canal about 30 feet wide and 10 feet deep 
was being dug. Some attempt was made to use the peat that has 
formed in portions of the swamp as fuel for the dredger, but where it 
was cut it contained too much earthy matter to be valuable for that 
purpose. 

Of late years grain, fruits, and vegetables in rapidly increasing 
quantities have been raised, and the influx of settlers has given great 
impetus to farming. At and near Burns there are several small farms 
that supply the greater part of the fruits and vegetables for local 
consumption, while east of the town several fields containing good 
stands of wheat and barley were noticed during the summer of 1907. 
A grist mill on the bank of Silvies River, a couple of miles north of 
Burns, furnishes much of the flour for local use; but many people 
still drive southward to Lakeview, or eastward to Ontario, for the 
winter's supply of apples and for potatoes and other vegetables, and 
as yet (1908) agriculture can be considered only as an auxiliarv means 
of livelihood in this valley. 

It is mainly the new settlers on the open sagebrush lands who have 
begun to raise much grain. Rye is a favorite first-year crop, perhaps 
on account of its suitability to dry farming, and where it has been sown 
under favorable conditions it has yielded well. Many of the new set- 
tlers expect to rely on dry farming, principally grain raising, for a 
living. They can not yet be assured of success, considering that their 
fields are in many cases limited to 160 or 320 acres, that the seasonal 
rainfall is uncertain, and that until a railroad is built through the 
region the market will be limited to the local demand. 

AREAS TRIBUTARY TO HARNEY VALLEY. 

In the valley of upper Silver Creek, at and above Riley, there are 
several ranches that have been occupied for a number of years, but 
here, as elsewhere, the bottom land is valued chiefly for its natural 
grass. On each side of the valley there are stretches of gravelly bench 
land which are at present used only as stock range, but they could 
be made productive if they were irrigated. Along the middle course 
of the stream, 6 or 8 miles south of Riley, a few homesteaders have set- 
tled, but little development of the land had been accomplished there 
at the time of this examination. There is a considerable area of 
good bottom land along this portion of the stream, and water is ob- 
tained at shallow depth, but no water is available from Silver Creek 
at the time when it is needed for irrigation. 
74385— IRR 231—09 4 



50 WATEE RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

Along Silvies River above Burns there are a few small farms, and 
also along Rattlesnake Creek, above Harney. At Diamond, on the 
southeast edge of Harney Valley, and in Happy Valley, along Smith 
and Riddle creeks, there are a few earlier settlers, but as in the other 
watered localities, which, of course, were settled first, the meadow 
grass, being a necessity to stock raising, is the most extensive and 
valuable crop. 

Half a mile northeast of Diamond, Swamp Creek has cut through a 
lava ridge which resembles the ridges along Smith Creek, described on 
pages 27, 28. This forms a very good dam site for a reservoir of small 
capacity. The value of such a reservoir for irrigating the meadow 
of the lower portion of the creek is realized by the owner of the land, 
but at the time of visit a dam had not been begun. 

SOIL. 



In Harney Valley, and also in the other valleys of this basin, six 
general classes of soil may be recognized by the character of the native 
vegetation. Nearly all the cultivable areas are covered by rather 
fine-grained, light, and sandy soil that is easily tilled, but it varies in 
alkalinity and in the amount of vegetable matter it contains. Near 
the lakes the percentage of alkaline salts is much greater than in the 
higher portions, while in the marshy and swampy areas the soil is 
black from decayed vegetation, and in certain localities, as in the 
Buena Vista swamp, it is even peaty in character. 

The sagebrush land is in nearly all parts the best in quality, usually 
being light and sandy and free from alkali, while water of fair quality 
is often found beneath it at a shallow depth. 

In the more alkaline areas sagebrush is replaced by greasewood, 
although the latter does not everywhere indicate especially alkaline 
conditions. Where it flourishes, however, ground water is usually 
nearer the surface and more alkaline than in the sagebrush areas. 

Over some portions the rayless golden-rod, often called '^ rabbit 
brush," is the chief growth. Like the greasewood, it may indicate a 
dryer as well as a more alkaline condition of the soil. 

Rye grass grows luxuriantly in land slightly above the marsh areas, 
which is overflowed during part of the year. In many places on 
hillsides it indicates the presence of seepage springs. 

The marsh and natural hay lands may be considered as constitut- 
ing a fifth class of soil, in which water stands close to the surface 
throughout the year. These lands are dark colored and rich in 
vegetable matter and are not, as a rule, badly alkaline, perhaps be- 
cause of a continuous though slow movement of the subsurface water 
toward the sloughs that drain them. 



HAENEY BASIN. 61 

in the lower lands, especially around the borders of the lakes, the 
alkaline content becomes excessive, and only salt grass and saltbushes 
grow. 

No attempt can be made here to classify all the land of the Harney 
Valley, but it may be said that the best areas of sagebrush land were 
noticed along the borders of the valley between Harney and the Crow 
Camp Hills, in the neighborhood of Windy Point and Harriman post- 
ofhce, and north and southwest of Dog Mountain. It is in these areas 
of sagebrush land that most of the recent settlement has taken place. 
There is also much similar land lying east and southeast of Burns, but 
69,000 acres of this was still, in 1908, reserved by the State under the 
Carey Act, while 11,000 acres more is Indian land. 

The western extension of the valley, in the neighborhood of Iron 
Mountain and Silver Lake, is an alkaline greasewood fiat. A similar 
greasewood playa lies on the eastern edge of the valley near Malheur 
Gap, while a belt of rank greasewood borders the north shore of Har- 
ney Lake. 

South of Malheur Lake the road that leads to Happy Valley crosses 
a bell^ of goldenrod land about IJ miles wide. No homes had been 
built there, and though the soil is composed of alluvium and lake sedi- 
ments it seemed hard and dry. South of this locality the surface rises 
gently to rocky plateau land. 

Between Burns and Lawen several fields thickly covered with rye 
grass were seen; these are probably overflowed during the spring 
months by water from Silvies River. Other smaller rye-grass areas 
were noticed in the valley of Silver Creek and in the flat of Swamp 
Creek near. Diamond. 

The marsh and meadow lands include several fields east of Burns 
that are irrigated by means of ditches from Silvies River during high 
water, as well as the areas of natural marsh that are shown on the 
reconnaissance map (PI. II). With the exception of those portions 
that are partially flooded and grown to tules, and the strongly alkaline 
areas that support only the saltbushes, these constitute the wild hay 
lands. 

The greatest extent of alkaline salt-grass land noticed is along 
the western border of Malheur Lake. From parts of this, as has been 
said, the salt grass is cut for hay. 

ALKALINITY. 

Since the meaning of alkali is but slightly understood by many, it 
may be said here that several natural salts are known as ^ ^alkalies." 
The chloride, the sulphate, and the carbonate of soda are the three chief 
salts thus designated, the two former being ^^ white" alkalies, while the 
latter is known as ''black" alkali. Borax (biborate of soda) is also 



52 WATER EESOUECES OF HAENEY BASIN EEGTON, OEEGON. 

an alkali, but only here and there is it present in sufficient quantity 
to affect vegetation. The nitrate and the phosphate of soda and the 
sulphate of potash are also alkaline salts that are found in nature, but 
these are nutritive salts and are essential to plant growth. The car- 
bonate of soda or black alkali is the most harmful of these salts, as it 
attacks the bark of plant stalks just below the surface, and when 
sufficient in quantity practically girdles them. 

Concerning the relative harmf ulness of the three chief alkalies C, W. 
Dorsey says : " 

When present in soils to the exclusion of other salts, 0.05 per cent of sodium car- 
bonate represents about the upper limit of concentration for common crops. One- 
half of 1 per cent of sodium chloride is commonly regarded as the endurance limit of 
crops, and 1 per cent of sodium sulphate. Sodium sulphate, then, is the least injurious 
and sodium carbonate the most injurious of the salts usually constituting the greater 
part of alkali under ordinary field conditions, while sodium chloride occupies a middle 
position. 

Alkali is seldom distributed uniformly in the soil in a vertical direc- 
tion. In most arid regions it is contained mainly in the upper 6 feet. 
Other factors besides the total quantity present in the soil modify its 
effect on plant life, especially the depth below the surface at which 
it is concentrated. This depth varies with the season and is greatly 
influenced by irrigation. Where the alkali is contained mainly 3 or 
4 feet below the surface, shallow-rooted crops can be grown without 
injury; and in many places, also, it becomes concentrated in the sur- 
face crust, above the roots of plants that might otherwise be affected 
by it. 

A few settlers have taken up claims on the borders of Malheur and 
Harney lakes. They were probably attracted to this section by the 
growth of salt grass and by the moist character of the land, but it is 
to be regretted that they were not informed of the worthlessness of 
such land for agriculture. 

A soil sample was taken to a depth of 6 feet with an earth auger, 
half a mile south of Narrows, in the zone of greasewood land inter- 
mediate between the areas of sagebrush and of salt grass. The 
amount and character of alkaline salts in it were determined for each 
foot in depth separately, in order to learn their distribution as well as 
the quantity in the soil. A similar sample for analysis was taken in 
rye-grass land about 2 miles north of Lawen, in order to judge of the 
character of this class of soil. The results of these two analyses are 
as follows: 



a Dorsey, Clarence W., Reclamation of alkaline soils: U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau of Soils, Bull. No 
34, 190G, p. 10. 



HAENEY BASIN. 



53 



Alkali analyses of soils from Harney County, Oreg. 

[Walton Van Winkle, analyst.] 
PER CENT OF TOTAL SOIL (WATER EXTRACT). 



Locality and depth of sample. 



Soluble 
salts. 



Ca. 



Mg. Na+K. 



S04. 


CO3. 


HCO3. 


0. 0604 


0. 0048 


0. 0996 


.0584 


.029 


.174 


.096 


.059 


.062 


.028 


.111 


.100 


.067 


.130 


.024 


.048 


.080 


.110 


.055 




.057 


.011 




.040 


.010 




.036 


.010 




.041 


.011 




.038 


.017 




.057 



CI. 



One-half mile south of Narrows: 
Oto 1 foot 

1 to 2 feet 

2 to 3 feet 

3to 4feet 

4 to 5 feet 

5 to 6 feet 

Two miles north of Law en: 

to 1 foot 

. 1 to 2 feet 

2 to 3 feet 

3 to 4 feet 

4 to 5 feet 

5 to 6 feet 



0.566 
1.049 
.734 
.662 
.938 
.864 

.202 
.126 
.114 
.140 
.128 
.194 



0. 0074 0. ; 



,005 
.003 

.077 



003 



.015 
.024 
.030 
.018 
.017 
.016 



005 
005 
006 
005 



,2383 
.367 
.300 
.261 

.282 

.055 
.029 
.027 
.029 
.034 
.055 



0.120 
.550 
.145 
.120 
.097 
.084 

.010 
.006 
.006 
.010 
.008 
.020 



PER CENT OF SOLUBLE SALTS. 



Locality and depth of sample. 


Ca. 


Mg. 


Na+K. 


SO4. 


CO3. 


HCO3. 


CI. 


One-half mile south of Narrows: 

to 1 foot... ... . ... 


5.05 
.267 
.694 
.453 

8.20 


L30 
"'".'319" 


25.44 
16.8 
50.0 
45.3 

27.8 
32.6 

27.2 
23.0 
23.6 
20.7 
26.6 
28.4 


10.67 
4.14 

13.1 
4.23 
7.14 
5.55 

27.2 
8.73 

8.77 
7.14 
8.59 
8.76 


0.848 

2.05 

8.03 

16.7 

13.8 
9.23 


17.6 
12.3 

8.44 
15.1 

2.53 
12.7 

28.2 
31.7 
3L5 
29.2 
29.6 
29.3 


21.2 


1 to 2^et 


52 4 


2 to 3 feet 


19.75 


3 to 4 feet 


18 1 


4 to 5 feet 


10.3 


5 to 6 feet 


9.72 


Two miles north of Lawen: 
to 1 foot . . . 


7.42 
19.0 
26.3 
12.8 
13.2 

8.24 


"'3." 97"" 
4.38 
4.28 
3.90 


4 95 


1 to 2 feet 


4 76 


2 to 3 feet 


5.26 


3 to 4 feet 


7 14 


4 to 5 feet 


6.25 


5 to feet. 


10 3 







The main point to be noted in the figures for the first sample is 
the high percentage of soluble salts and their persistence to a depth of 
at least 6 feet. Their proportion, from over one-half of 1 per cent to 
a little over 1 per cent of the total soil, shows that a harmful quantity 
of these salts is present; and as drainage conditions are poor the soil 
is almost worthless for crop production. The second sample, from 
near Lawen, contains only about one-fifth as much soluble material 
as the soil from near Narrows, and so far as alkalinity is con- 
cerned it may be classed as a good soil. Both are rather deficient in 
lime, as it is usually considered that for a good soil from 0.1 per cent 
to 0.3 per cent of this essential plant food should be present. Like 
nearly all other arid-region soils, however, that of this valley is fertile 
and will prove very productive where ample water can be supplied 
and alkali does not become excessive. 

In one of his publications on this region^ Russell gives the fol- 
lowing analysis of a sample of the alkaline efflorescence from land 
near Dog Mountain. This also shows the nature of the salts that are 
present in this locality. 



a Russell, T. C, Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. U. S. 
Survey No. 217, 1903, p. 36. 



Geol 



54 WATER RESOURCES OP HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON, 

Analysis of efflorescence from Narrows, Oreg. 

[Analyst, George Steiger.] 

Insoluble in hot water 1. 25 

Sodium oxide (NasO) : 47. 49 

Water (HgO) of crystallization 10. 08 

Sulphm-ic anhydride (SO3) 11. 76 

Chlorine (CI) 2. 90 

Carbon dioxide (CO2), carbonic acid gas 26. 33 

Boracic acid (B2O3) 28 

100. 09 
Regarding this analysis Russell says : 

Judging from the above analysis, the efflorescence from which the sample examined 
was obtained, if in sufficient quantity and commercially accessible, would be of value 
for the sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate it contains, but not for its borax. 

SURFACE WATER. 

RECLAMATION PROJECTS. 

A few years ago the United States Reclamation Service made pre- 
liminary surveys of two irrigation projects within the Harney basin. 
Of these, the Harney project embraced lands in the northern part of 
Harney Valley, while the other, the Silver Creek project, contem- 
plated the irrigation of the bench lands along the stream above Riley. 

Concerning the larger project, that in the Harney Valley, it is 
stated in the Third Annual Report of the Reclamation Service^ 
that in 1904 there remained about 70,000 acres of unpatented land 
in the valley, and this had been selected by the State, under the 
Carey Act, for the Harney Valley Improvement Company. Measure- 
ments from May, 1903, to May, 1904, inclusive, showed that 250,000 
acre-feet of water w^as discharged by Silvies River into the valley 
during that period. Much of the discharge is spring flood water, and 
it has been estimated that fully one-half the total amount can be 
stored at comparatively small expense at an excellent reservoir site 
at the head of Silvies Valley, about 20 miles north of Harney Valley. 
After making due allowance for the fact that the season of 1903-4 was 
one of unusual precipitation it was assumed that there is sufhcient 
water to irrigate 40,000 acres, and that the necessary storage and dis- 
tribution works can be constructed at a cost not to exceed $20 an acre 
for the land irrigated. But while the present method of irrigation by 
flooding is practiced, in which from two to five times the amount of 
water is used that would be necessary if it were properly distributed, 
it is doubtful if in seasons of average precipitation there is more 
water than is required to satisfy present claims. In June, 1904, a 
board of consulting engineers examined the project and recommended 
that it be abandoned, since the water supply would probably be found 

o Whistler, John T., Operations in Oregon: Third Ann. Rept. U. S. Reel. Service, 1903-4, 1905, pp. 
103-104 and 457-458. 



HARNEY BASIN. 55 

insufficient during ordinary seasons . Throughout 1904 daily gage read- 
ings were made at a station on the river a short distance below the 
reservoir site, and showed a total discharge for the year of 163,400 
acre-feet at this point. This station has not been continued, but 
occasional discharge measurements have been made on the stream, 
and they indicate, as was thought, that in some seasons the supply 
would be insufficient. 

Concerning the Silver Creek project it is stated in the same report '^ 
that from preliminary measurements it was estimated that 100,000 
acre-feet of water was discharged by Silver Creek during 1904. Since 
the flood water runs off early it was considered that fully 75 per cent 
of the total discharge could be stored without injury to the meadows 
below, and that storage would in fact be a benefit to much of the lower 
land. This estimate of discharge indicates that the amount available 
is sufficient to irrigate 40,000 acres, but to allow for a storage supply 
to tide over dry seasons about half this acreage was tentatively 
figured upon. The easily irrigable land is estimated at about 15,000 
acres, only about 20 per cent of which is improved, and this only in 
the s^nse that it grows a light crop of wild hay; but about one-third 
of the land is patented through a mihtary-road grant. There is a 
good reservoir site in the southwest corner of T. 21 S., R. 26 E., and 
in 1904 a preliminary survey of it and of the irrigable land below 
was made. Stream measurements made during the first half of 1905 
and 1906 showed a much smaller discharge than in 1904, and the 
project has been practically abandoned by the Reclamation Service. 
In the summer of 1907 it was reported that a private company had 
purchased the ranch that occupies th3 reservoir site and intended 
to build a dam for storage purposes and irrigate part of the land 
below. The available discharge records of this stream are given 
on page 34. 

MINOR IRRIGATION. 

The main streams of Harney Valley, Donner und Blitzen and 
Silvies rivers and their tributaries, and the minor streams as well, 
have been described in the general discussion of the surface water 
(pp. 31-35) , so they need not be taken up again here. Up to the pres- 
ent time their supply has been used only in irrigating and somewhat 
enlarging the natural meadow lands. In this irrigation it is the 
custom to turn the water upon these hay lands and to leave them 
flooded as long as the supply lasts or until the hay is ready to cut. 
In this way a great excess of water is applied to the crop, and in some 
portions the grass is often drowned out. 

Of the several attempts that have been made in a small way at 
irrigation in Harney Valley, the following were noted in 1907: At 
the P ranch, at the south end of the marsh land of Donner und Blitzen 

aOp. cit., pp. 459-460. 



56 WATEK RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

River, several fields of alfalfa have been irrigated, but for some years 
before this examination had been neglected. On Smith Creek and 
Rattlesnake Creek, as well as along Silvies River above Burns, a 
small amount of water is diverted from the streams to gardens and 
alfalfa patches. At Lawen one windmill was noted, which raises 
water from the slough and by means of a short flume irrigates a 
small vegetable garden. About 7 miles north of Lawen prepara- 
tions were being made by one who had filed on a desert claim to 
raise water from the near-by slough by means of a centrifugal pump, 
and to conduct it through a wooden flume to the adjacent land. A 
mile or two west of Riley a dam had been built across the mouth of 
a natural depression at the valley edge, and the run-off water had 
been stored and used during the summer. In the spring of 1905 
this dam broke, and up to the summer of 1907 had not been rebuilt. 
At the south base of Dog Mountain Mr. Newell has built across the 
mouth of a wide draw an earth dam about 1,200 feet long and 7 feet 
high at the center. This forms a storage reservoir with a capacity 
roughly estimated at 7 or 8 acre-feet. With the water thus stored he 
is able to give his wheat field a late spring flooding. A few similar 
small reservoirs were being constructed by other new settlers in this 
vicinity. 

SPRINGS. 

There are a number of springs, both natural and developed, within 
Harney Valley, which deserve mention in connection with the surface- 
water supply and its development. The following are the principal 
ones that were noted: 

About a mile west of Burns, on the slopes 100 feet above the town, 
a spring rises, whose water is used to irrigate a few acres of garden and 
orchard immediately adjacent. An earth reservoir 300 feet long, 
40 feet wide, and about 4 feet deep has been made by banking up 
around the spring, and a pit which was dug about 25 feet deep at the 
spring has considerably increased its original flow. This is estimated 
by Mr. M. L. Lewis, the owner, to be 1,000 or 1,200 gallons an hour, 
or about 2 miner's inches. Another spring 2 miles northwest of this 
one has been boxed in and forms a watering place at the roadside. 
Two or three similar springs rise in the hills southwest of Burns on 
the drainage slopes of Cold Spring Creek. 

The warm springs 3 miles south of Burns and those near the mouth 
of Cold Spring Creek have been mentioned in an earlier part of this 
paper (p. 35) in speaking of the surface water supply. These flow 
in considerable volume, but no use is made of their water except in 
the irrigation of the natural meadow grasses. 

At Mr. NewelFs ranch at the south base of Dog Mountain the water 
supply for domestic and garden use and for several head of stock is 
obtained from a small developed spring in the coarse-textured tuff 



HARNEY BASIN. 57 

that forms part of the mountain. A tunnel 80 feet long has been 
run into the hillside and yields a constant flow of somewhat less than 
a miner's inch. 

The Weaver spring, 3 miles west of Mr. NewelFs, at the edge of the 
valley, is also in part a developed one. The water issues from the 
base of a low scarp and supplies a small field of ajfalfa, besides the 
usual garden. The flow is possibly 2 miner's inches. 

A couple of miles north of Harriman post-office there is a hot 
spring, which in the summer of 1907 had been banked up so as to 
form a pool 100 yards in diameter. The water discharged on the 
east and south sides through two ditches having a total flow of about 
28 miner's inches. 

In Crane Creek Gap there is a small spring, which rises on the 
slope well above the level of this divide. At the time it was visited it 
formed a pool that was used by cattle as a watering place, but there 
was little appreciable flow. Farther down the slope there is a second 
spring and pool. A well-marked watercourse leading from it indicates 
that these springs flow in considerable volume during the earlier part 
of the year, and that their supply is mainly of shallow origin. 

In the west end of Warm Spring Valley the spring numbered 212 
on Plate III has little appreciable flow, but it has formed a small tule 
area and is a welcome watering place. Of similar origin are springs 
Nos. 211 and 213, but the former flows into Silver Lake and the 
latter into a small pond. 

With the springs of the southern side of the Harney basin those of 
Buzzard Canyon may be mentioned. During the summer the water 
alternately rises to the surface and flows underground along this drain- 
age course. The flow at Buzzard Spring is said by F. M. Anderson, 
geologist, to have been about 15 miner's inches in July, 1907. 

Of the largest springs of Warm Spring Valley, those on the Double O 
ranch, it has already been stated that the water is used only to a 
small extent in irrigating the wild-hay land, though canals have 
recently been dug and preparations have been made for using it 
more extensively for this purpose. 

The water of spring No. 221, southeast of the Double O ranch, is 
used mainly for garden irrigation, as is also that of spring No. 222, a 
mile farther east. 

A hot spring. No. 223, rises near the southeast shore of Harney 
Lake through a number of vents in which the water ranges in tem- 
perature from 134° to 150° F. At this place a pool 115 yards long 
and from 10 to 35 yards wide has been formed, which discharges 
through two ditches at its southern end. The total flow as measured 
was about 20 miner's inches.'^ A few years ago some attempt was 

a In Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 78, 1903, p. 39, Russell gives the flow of this spring 
as 6 gallons a second, equivalent to about 40 miner's inches. 



58 



WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 



made to utilize the water for irrigation on the land near by, but of 
late it is unused and sinks within 300 yards of its source. 

About half way between this spring and Narrows there is a small 
sulphur spring in the barren flat close to the lake margin. Some one 
has built a cabin here, fenced in the spring, and attempted to raise 
a few potatoes, but with poor success. 

The Sodhouse spring, No. 214, has been described on page 35. 
No attempt is made to utilize its water, but it forms a welcome 
drinking place for cattle, especially in winter, when its warm water 
is greatly appreciated by the animals. 

A small spring by the roadside, at the western edge of the lava 
surrounding Diamond Craters, is worthy of mention, for though its 
flow is inappreciable it forms a convenient watering place for the 
traveler. 

Numerous cold springs issue along the canyon sides of the creeks 
that drain the northern slope of Steens Mountain, and considerably 
increase the stream flows. In two or three places their water is 
used during the dipping and shearing of sheep, but because of theii 
locations they are put to little other use directly. 



GROUND WATER. 

The ground-water level has been said to be at a shallow depth in 
nearly all parts of the basin. Near its borders the shallow ground 
water is much better in quality than it is near I^awen and Narrows. 
The level, where it is indicated by the depth to water in a number 
of wells, is shown on Plate III. Other notes concerning these wells 
are tabulated in the following list of those that were noted in the 

Harney basin. 

Wells in the Harney basin. 



No. 


Owner or location. 


Class of 
well. 


Method of lift. 


Depth to 
water. 


Remarks. 


1 

9 


West side of Silvies River 
canyon. 


Dug 

Bored and 

dug. 
Bored..... 

Dug 

...do 

...do 

do 


Wheel and bucket. 


Feet. 
25 

10 to 15 

5 

7 

20 
9 
15 

10 

8 

15 

5 

75 

30 to 50 
26 


Temperature 47" F.; un- 
usually cold. 
General statement for wells 


3 
4 


Northeast edge of Harney 

Valley. 
1 mile east of No. 3 


Pitcher pump 

Wheel and bucket 

do 

do 

do. 


at Hamey. 


5 
6 

7 


1| miles east of No. 4 

East side of Harney Valley. 
2| miles south of No. 6 




R 


Fred Haines, see. 2, T. 23 

S., R. .32i E. 
7 miles southeast of Harney. 
J. 11. Shepard, 12 miles east 

of Burns. 
Mr. Dennison, sec. 18, T. 23 

S., R. 32 E. 
Harney County, sec. 13, T. 

23 S., R. 31 E. 
Northern part of Bums 

Southern part of Burns 

Mr. Geer, 2 miles west of 
Bums. 


Drilled.... 
Bored 


Windmill- 


See Russell's statement. 


q 


do 


quoted on p. 62. 


10 
11 


Dug 

...do 

Drilled.... 

Mostly 
drilled. 

Bored and 
dug. 

Dug 


Wheel and bucket. 
Windmill 




I'' 


Not used 


See Russell's statement. 


13 
14 
15 


Windmills and en- 
gine. 
Windmills 

do 


quoted on p. 62. 
General statement for wells 

in upper part of Burns. 
General statement for wells 

in lower part of Burns. 








- 



HARNEY BASIN. 

Wells in the Harney basin — Continued. 



59 



No. 


Owner or location. 


Class of 
well. 


Method of lift. 


Depth to 
water. 


Remarks. 


16 

17 

18 

10 


I. S. Geer, J mile south of 

No. 15. . 

Cal. Geer, near No. 16 

NW. 1 sec. 33, T. 23 S., R. 

29 E. 

,T. F. Oakerman, Riley 

7 miles above Riley 


Dug 

--.do 

...do 

...do 

do 


Windmills 

do 

Wheel and bucket. 

WindmUl 


Feet. 

7 

10 
60 

14 
10 
10 
8 

7+ 

15 

28 
26 
12 

8 


Small supply; in tuff. 


''0 


Wheel and bucket. 

Pitcher pump 

do 

Not used.. . . 




?1 


7 miles south of Riley 


.. do 




22 
03 


J. W. Sevedge, 9 miles 

south of Burns. 
Dan Harkey, 8 miles south 

of Bums. 

N. B. Sutton, 1 mile east of 
No. 22. 

1 mile north of Lawen 

* mile northeast of Lawen . . 


Bored 

...do 

...do 

...do 

---do 

..do 


Pit dug 7 feet deep, nearly 
to water level, and cased 
boring sunk to a depth 
not learned. Water in 
casing stood 2J feet below 
surface of ground. 

Water level at 15 feet, but 
better quality of water at 
71 feet 


24 

25 
26 
07 


Pitcher pump 

do 

do 

Windmill 


oc? 


Hotel Lawen 


do 


do.. 




?0 


G. L. Sitz, Lawen 


Drilled..-. 




See log of well, and re- 
marks, p. 62. 
See description, p. 61. 


30 
31 


Sec. 7, T. 24 S., R. 33 E. 

(Burke well). 
North side of Crane Creek 

Center of Crane Creek Gap. . 
Post-office, Harriman 

In flat east of Dog Moimtain. 

T. B. Beck, east base of Dog 

Mountain. 
T. B. Beck, J mile east of 

No. 35. 
I. S. Tyler, east base of Dog 

Mountain. 
Mr. Porter, east base of Dog 

Mountain. 
A. Barron, 3 miles north of 

Dog Mountain. 

Mr. Saddlemire, | mile 
north of No. 39. 

J mile west of No. 39 

1 mile northwest of No. 39. . 

Mr. Carpenter, 1| miles 
northwest of No. 39. 

5 miles west of Dog Moun- 
tain, 

10 miles north of Double 
ranch. 

li miles southwest of Nar- 
rows. 

1 mile south of Narrows 

Narrows 


...do 

Dug 

...do 

Bored 

do 


Artesian flow 

Not used 




14 

6 
25 

7 to 10 

30 
18 
28 
40 
63 

28 

37 
13 

28 

30 
24 

11 

12 
10 to 15 

12 

6 
16 


32 
33 

34 


do 

Pitcher pump 

... do 


Said to be bored to depth 
of 148 feet. Black ooze 
and stagnant water at 70 
feet. 

General statement for wells 


35 

36 


Dug 

do 


Wheel and bucket. 
do 


in this locality. Several 
water-bearing strata; bet- 
ter water usually in the 
deeper ones. 


37 
3« 


...do 

...do 

Bored 


Pitcher pump 

Not used 


Small supply, poor water. 
Water struck at 63 feet* 


?0 


--. do 


40 
41 


Dug 

Bored 

...do 

...do. 

Dug 

Bored 

.-.do 

...do 

...do 


Pitcher pump 

Not used 


rose at first to 38 feet; in 
tuff. 


42 
43 

44 


Pitcher pump 

do 

Windmill 




45 

46 


Pitcher pump 

Not used 


Water also at shallower 
depths in this section; 
also better quality at 
greater depths. 

Water struck at 11 feet; 


47 


Windmill 


said to have risen to 4 
feet below surface. 


48 


Hand pumps and 

windmills. 
Pitcher pump 

Windmill 


General statement for wells 


49 
50 


Mr. Springer, 6 miles east of 
Narrows. 

do 


--.do 

...do 


at Narrows. 
Water said to come from 
same red tuff from which 
the Sodhouse springs is- 
sue; when first bored, 
water rose to within 1 
foot of the surface. 


51 
5? 


County well, Windy Point . 
Mr. Smith, sec. 6, T. 26 S., 

R. 34 E. 
0. E. Thompson, sec. 18, T. 

26 S., R 34 E. 
f mile south of No. 53 


Dug 

Drilled.... 


Bucket and rope. . 


See p. 60. 


53 


Dug 

...do 


Windmill 


35 
24 




54 


Bucket and rope. . 





60 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

Aside from that supplied to gardens by a few windmills, little 
attempt has been made to use the shallow ground water for other 
than domestic purposes. 

South of Narrows, in the lowland bordering Mud Lake, water under 
pressure is found a few feet below the surface, and also in a few 
places along lower Silvies River. 

During the fall of 1907 a well was drilled on the east side of the 
valley, near Windy Point, in sec. 6, T. 26 S., E. 34 E. At a depth of 
260 feet water was struck that rose to the surface, but a satisfactory 
flow was not obtained. 

These evidences of pressure in the water of the valley filling make 
it probable that in some restricted localities flowing wells in the val- 
ley deposits will be obtained when the wells are properly sunk and 
cased. Although these may be obtained only in the lower portions 
of the valley, they may prove of use for irrigation on a small scale. 
Since the valley filling is comparatively shallow and the surface is 
very gently sloping, it is not probable that water exists in the uncon- 
solidated sediments under sufficient head to yield flowing wells of 
great supply. 

The depth of the valley filling could be judged only from the incom- 
plete records of five wells that previous to 1908 had been drilled in 
it to the underlying rock. From the notes at hand concerning these 
it appears that in the county well. No. 12, rock was encountered at 
about 100 feet, and at about this depth also in Mr. Fred Haines's well. 
No. 8. A sample of the material from a depth of 280 feet in the 
Smith well. No. 52, indicates that at this depth the bottom of the 
valley sediments had been passed and that drilling was in a tuffaceous 
layer associated with the basalts. From the record of the well drilled 
at Lawen by Mr. Sitz, which is given on page 62, it appears that the 
valley filling is only 200 feet deep at this place, the remainder of the 
depth penetrated being through basalt and tuffaceous beds. In the 
Burke well, No. 30, drilling was stopped when resistant material, 
probably bed rock, was reached at a depth of 235 feet. Besides the 
records of these few drilled wells within the valley, the buttes that 
rise above its floor and the gentle dip of the rocks surrounding it also 
indicate that the unconsolidated filling is of comparatively slight 
depth. 

The flatness of the valley surface is shown by the elevation of bench 
marks established by the United States Geological Survey along its 
margin and at the edge of the lake at Narrows. These elevations 
given indicate a slope of only about 50 feet from the northern 
margin of the valley to the lake, or only 2 feet to the mile over a great 
part of its surface. To the east, Malheur Gap is said to be only 
about 16 feet above the high- water level of Malheur Lake. 



HARNEY BASIN. 61 

Although it is unHkely that strong flowing wells will be obtained 
in this valley in the alluvium and lake sediments, it is probable that 
the deeper water-bearing beds of unconsolidated material will later 
prove valuable sources of water for pumping. But the development 
of this underground supply will depend mainly upon the cost of 
pumping and the values that can be obtained from produce raised 
by irrigation; and until an easy outlet is obtained to a more extensive 
market than the local one it is not likely that extensive pumping 
will be found profitable. 

The supply obtained at ground-water level has proved ample for 
domestic use, but it is not thought that this shallowest water will 
prove sufficient for extensive irrigation. On this matter the notes 
kindly furnished by Mr. W. E. Burke on his well (No. 30) north- 
east of La wen are very instructive. At first a pit 6 feet square and 
22 feet deep was dug, water being struck at 6 feet. It was the inten- 
tion to pump from this shallow ground-water supply, but it was found 
that the pit yielded little greater supply than a 2-inch well. A 9-inch 
hole was then drilled, and at a depth between 90 and 100 feet a layer 
of sandjVN^as encountered, which yielded water that rose to within 7 
feet of the surface. This layer was tested by pumping for two or 
three hours a day for several days, and when yielding 600 gallons a 
minute the level lowered to 32 feet below the surface; while when 
pumping 1,000 gallons a minute it lowered to 38 feet. At the bottom 
of the well another water-bearing bed was encountered, which yielded 
a surface flow of about 10 gallons a minute. In the summer of 1907 
this well was still flowing sufficiently to form a pool 30 to 40 yards 
across, which had become a regular watering place for the range stock. 

ROOK WATER. 

STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS. 

Around the borders of the Harney basin the bedded lavas slope 
toward it from all sides, as shown by the dip symbols on the geologic 
map (PL III), so that >s a whole it is structurally a great saucer- 
shaped basin or syncline. Within this basin there are minor irregu- 
larities, of which Saddle Butte and other similar buttes are surface 
evidences, and probably there are other minor structural features of 
which there are no surface indications. In general, however, these 
are not considered to be sufficient to seriously affect artesian condi- 
tions within the basin. 

DRILLED WELLS. 

Of the five deep wells that have been mentioned, three were sunk 
into the bed-rock layers in an effort to obtain flowing water. The 



62 AVATER EESOUECES OF HAENEY BASIN EEGION, OE-EGON.. 

first important drilled well was put down in 1893 at the expense of 
Harney County. Of it Russell says : " 

A well drilled at the expense of Harney County in 1893, at a locality about 6 miles 
east of Burns, in sec. 13, T. 23 S., R. 31 E., was continued to a depth of 848 feet. The 
well at the top has a diameter of 6 inches, but narrows near the bottom to 4 inches. 
At a depth of 350 feet water was reached which rose and overflowed at the surface, 
but after an attempt to improve the well, made in the spring of 1902, it ceased to 
flow. The water in August, 1902, stood 3 feet below the surface and had a tempera- 
ture of 49° F. The first 100 feet of material passed through was sand, gravel, and soft 
rock, and at a greater depth hard rock was penetrated, but no record as to its nature, 
etc., is available. Two water-bearing strata are said to have been reached, one at 350 
feet from the top and the other at the horizon where drilling was discontinued, 
namely, 840 feet. The outflow from the first water-bearing layer is said to have been 
small. The well is cased with iron tubing, 6 inches in diameter, to a depth, as re- 
ported, of 450 feet. 

During the summer of 1907 the water in this well stood about 5 
feet below the surface, little, if any, above the ground-water level. 

Russell mentioned the well belonging to Mr. Fred Haines,^ of 
which he says: 

About 5 miles east of Harney, on land belonging to Fred Haines, sec. 2, T. 23 S., 
R. 32 J E., a well 3 inches in diameter, drilled in 1896 to a depth of 507 feet, struck 
water at a depth between 200 and 300 feet, which rose to the surface. The well is not 
cased, and the water now stands 6 fee,t below the surface and has a temperature of 49° F. 
The material passed through was soft to a depth of 100 feet, and below that depth con- 
sisted of black lava, clay, etc., but no definite record is available. This well at first 
yielded a true artesian flow, but, as nearly as can be judged, has caved in, owing to 
lack of casing, and the water supply at present is from percolation through porous 
beds near the surface. 

In a later paper ^ he gives the following record of a third drilled 
well, belonging to Mr. G. L. Sitz, which was put down at Lawen: 

Record of Sitz well, Lawen. 

Feet. 

Sand and clay 200 , 

Lava, about 50 

Gravel, cemented 4 

Hard and soft layers, from 8 inches to 4 feet thick J 00 

' ' Hard blue granite " (basalt) 78 

432 

He refers to this as a flowing well, but more recent information 
states that it did not flow. 

The evidence furnished by the drilled wells indicates that porous 
beds of tuffaceous material, similar to those exposed at numerous 
places along the borders of the basin, exist beneath the valley and 

a Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: 
Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 78, 1903, pp. 40-41. 

b Op. cit., p. 40. 

c Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon: Bull. U. S. 
Geol. Survey No. 252, 1905, p. 42, 



HAKNEY BASIN. 63 

arfe interbedded with rocks of firmer texture. These tuffs associated 
with the lavas do not form so uniform and persistent beds as do 
marine sandstones; they seem rather to form great irregular lens- 
shaped masses. These, however, are of sufficient extent to act as 
collecting reservoirs for percolating water, and by leakage from one 
bed to another some of them may serve the purpose of a continuous 
permeable stratum. An attempt is made to illustrate the relation of 
these tuffs to the basalt in the geologic cross section on Plate III, 
in which the thicker lines in the bedding planes represent lenses of 
tuffaceous material. 

Of the three drilled wells that had been sunk in this valley to bed 
rock previous to the spring of 1908, the one that was put down at 
the expense of the county is considered to have been the best test 
for artesian water, for it is situated some distance out in the valley, 
was cased to solid rock, was sunk to a depth sufficient to be deter- 
minative, and did yield an artesian flow. The well of Mr. Fred 
Haines is nearer the valley edge and is of less depth, but the fact that 
it yielded a slight flow is favorable to the belief that valuable flow- 
ing wells can be obtained by deep drilling and proper casing. It is 
probable that had drilling been carried to a greater depth in the well 
of Mr. Sitz, at Lawen, a good flow of water would have been obtained, 
for beneath this central part of the valley conditions are thought to 
be especially favorable to the collection of water under pressure. 

WARM SPRINGS. 

Besides that furnished by the drilled wells in Harney Valley, other 
evidence of artesian conditions is given by the several warm spriiigs 
that rise within it, especially by those about 3 miles south of Burns, 
and those of Warm Springs Valley, west of Harney Lake. In those 
places where the immediate source of the spring was seen, the water 
issues from coarse tuffaceous material that is interbedded with the 
lava. Its temperature is noticeably higher than that of the shallow 
ground water, and the flow is more constant and of greater volume 
than can well be accounted for by local surface supply. In all re- 
spects these springs resemble those that are found in other valleys in 
which flowing artesian water is obtained. The largest of these 
springs, near the Double O ranch, are locally considered to be sup- 
plied by water from the Cascade Range. Aside from the difficulties 
involved in distance and in the structures that intervene in the way 
of water that may travel eastward from these mountains, the posi- 
tion of the slopes of Steens Mountain as a collecting area, and prob- 
ably also the plateau region south of Warm Springs Valley, favor a 
nearer source of supply. The fact that their flow has a seasonal 
variation, and is said to be one-third more in August and September 
than in April, also favors a more local source for their supply. 



64 WATER RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

Of the spring 2 miles north of Harriman post-office, Russell," writ 
ing in 1904, says: 

About 4 miles northeast of Saddle Mountain Butte is a spring which, as observed 
by H. C. Dewey, forms an irregular pool from 75 to 120 feet in diameter and 20 to 30 
feet deep. The water is clear, without odor, and near the margin of the pool has a 
temperature of 122° F. The discharge, which is about 430 cubic inches per second, is 
now utilized for watering stock. This spring rises at a locality on the broad surface 
of the valley, at least 4 miles from the nearest upland, and is a true fissure spring, hav- 
ing a deep source, shown by its temperature to be probably not less than 3,500 feet 
below the surface. Like other hot springs in the valley some account of which has 
been published, & it indicates the presence of artesian conditions. 

In August, 1907, the discharge of this spring was about 20 miner's 
inches. The highest temperature that was recorded was 95° F., 
where the water rises near the center of the pool. This discordance 
in the measurements of 1903 and 1907 seems to corroborate the local 
statement that the spring is of variable flow and temperature. Con- 
cerning the origin of this spring it has been suggested by Dr. W. L. 
Marsden, of Burns, that faulting in the hills to the east, which has 
been discussed by Russell, may continue westward into the valley, 
and that this spring rises along a fault plane. Possibly the displace- 
ment continues across Harney Valley and up the valley of Sagehen 
Creek, and also furnishes a means of escape for the water of the springs 
along the lower course of this stream. 

If such is the case, this faulting may render it impossible to obtain 
flowing wells near the fault line, but it is not considered that it 
seriously affects artesian conditions in the northern part of Harney 
Valley, nor in the cultivable area of its southern portion. 

CATLOW BASIN. 
DESCRIPTION. 

Beyond the rocky table-land south of Harney Lake, and lying be- 
tween Steens and Warner mountains, there is a long, shallow, relatively 
narrow basin. Its south-central portion, near the mouth of Skull 
Creek, is known as Catlow Valley, but as all the arable land of the 
basin is in one great body, the name Catlow Valley will here be applied 
to it as a whole. The valley is about 40 miles long, trends a little 
west of north, and has a fairly uniform width of 6 or 8 miles. On 
the northwest the rise to the higher land is gradual, but on the south 
and southwest low escarpments and steeper slopes mark the valley 
edge more clearly. On the east it is bordered by an escarpment that 
in its central portion reaches a height of 1,400 or 1,500 feet. The 

a Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on the geology and water resources of central Oregon: Bull. U. S. 
Geol. Survey No. 252, 1905, p. 41. 

b Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: 
Water-supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No.. 78, 1903. 



CATLOW BASIN. 65 

northern end of the valley is also marked by a bold escarpmert that 
is superimposed upon the plateau to which one ascends from the 
lowland of the P ranch; for Catlow Valley lies 400 feet higher than 
the marsh of Donner und Blitzen River. Northward this branch 
scarp unites with the one bordering the marsh land of the river. 

Terraces along its eastern border show that Catlow Valley was once 
occupied by a lake that extended northward nearly to the edge of 
the plateau overlooking the P ranch, but apparently it never became 
quite high enough to overflow through the pass at this point to the 
lowland of Donner und Blitzen River. 

Most of the northern part of the valley is level and sagebrush 
covered, and only along its borders is it trenched by a few arroyos 
or flood-water channels. South of Skull Creek, in what was prob- 
ably the deepest part of the former lake, a considerable part of the 
valley is covered with sand dunes and alkaline areas. 

SETTLEMENT. 

Catlow Valley was practically unsettled in the summer of 1907. 
The l^ouses on the several cattle ranches are usually occupied only 
while the wild hay is being cut and stacked, but during the fall of 
1907 a family remained at Home Creek ranch to care for fences and 
watering places on the range. One homesteader, Mr. Pearl Wise, 
had filed on a claim near the sink of Skull Creek. During the sum- 
mer of 1907 he built a ditch to take a portion of the spring flood of 
this stream and impound it in an earthen reservoir for later irriga- 
tion. The lack of settlers in the valley seemed due mainly to the 
facts that nearly all of the surface water supply is controlled by the 
cattle ranches and that nearly all the newcomers have taken up 
claims in the less remote Harney Valley; for Catlow Valley lies away 
from the main line of travel, so that it is comparatively little known 
except to the cattlemen. 

SURFACE WATER. 

The ^Ye cattle ranches in this valley use the surface water to a 
small extent in irrigating the wild-hay land, but hold the several 
streams and springs chiefly as watering places for stock. Home, 
Threemile, and Skull creeks rise in the southern portion of Steins 
Mountain and debouch upon Catlow Valley along its eastern edge. 
In their middle courses these streams have steep grades, and have 
cut deep gorges where they descend from the plateau to the valley 
land. Where they enter the valley they have built extensive alluvial 
fans. Rock Creek, on the western side of the valley, gets its most 
constant supply from Warner Mountain, but during the run-off 
period it also receives the drainage from most of the surrounding 
74385— iRR 231—09 5 



66 

plateau country. In the spring most of its water does not flow 
beyond its sink in the northwestern part of Catlow Valley, while 
during the summer the stream is dry throughout most of its course. 
Along its middle portion, west of the Rock Creek ranch, there is an 
extensive strip of alluvial land, but the discharge of the creek is so 
floodlike and of such short duration that it could not be depended 
upon in this portion for irrigation purposes. 

Walls Lake, a collecting place for the spring run-off from the 
neighboring region, lies in the unsurveyed country north of Catlow 
Valley, and its location as given on the reconnaissance map (PI. II) 
is only approximately correct. It is said to be about If miles long, 
f mile wide, and to average 4 feet in depth during most of the year. 
The utilization of its water on a body of arable land near it has been 
considered, but would involve digging a canal half a mile long and 
20 feet deep in the maximum, at a cost roughly estimated at $5,000. 
It. is reported that the lake has gone dry in years of slight rainfall, 
so an irrigation project dependent upon it for water would be likely 
to prove an expensive venture. 

From the bluffs on the eastern side of the valley a number of springs 
come forth, of which by far the largest are those at the Roaring 
Springs ranch. The water here issues along the lower portion of the 
bluffs as two or three large and numerous smaller springs, and flows 
some distance out on the valley before it sinks. Except for the 
small area of natural hay land that the water irrigates, no use is made 
of it, though the amount, which is estimated at about 250 miner's 
inches, is sufficient to irrigate 800 or 1,000 acres. A similar spring 
augments the flow of Threemile Creek, while farther southward, 
near the HL ranch, nearly a dozen springs issue along the bluffs, from 
the same horizon, and water a small field of wild hay. On the lower 
slopes of Beattys Butte there are four or five small springs, which 
are kept cleaned out and form watering places for the range stock. 
On the upper course of Rock Creek there is a group of hot springs 
that yield a total flow of 8 or 10 miner's inches, from 105° to 115° F. 
in temperature. Advantage is taken of the temperature of this 
water in preparing sheep dip, a use to which a number of hot springs 
in southeastern Oregon are put. 

GROUND WATER. 

As very few wells have been sunk in this valley, the ground water 
conditions can be stated only in a general way, but it is thought that in 
nearly all parts of the valley water can be obtained within 30 or 40 
feet of the surface, and in the lowest areas at much less depths. The 
wells in which the depth to water was noticed, which are all shallow 
dug ones, are indicated on Plate III. The well near the sink of Skull 
Creek, No. 58, which was put down in the summer of 1907, failed to 



CATLOW BASIN. 67 

reach water in the sand and gravel at a depth of 40 feet. This well 
was dug on higher land, in the alluvium brought down by Skull Creek, 
in which the water probably sinks to a greater depth than elsewhere, 
but water can almost certainly be obtained here by sinking deeper in 
the alluvial material. At the Rock Creek ranch there are two wells 
(Nos. 56 and 57) close to the channel of the stream, in which the 
water stood respectively at 12 and 19 feet below the surface in Septem- 
ber, 1907. North of the valley proper, and about 12 miles west of 
Walls Lake, the only settler, Mr. Chino, obtains water at about 15 
feet in the alluvial land (well No. 55), and by the aid of a windmill 
is able to irrigate a small acreage. 

Between Roaring Springs and the sink of Rock Creek there are two 
or three shallow ponds. These can hardly be supplied wholly by 
surface precipitation, and no evidence was seen that they are sup- 
plied by springs. Since they lie in slight depressions it seems prob- 
able that they represent the ground-water level at this point. If so, 
water must stand at less than 10 feet from the surface beneath much 
of the northern part of the valley. 

Lar^e alluvial fans have been formed where Home and Three- 
mile creeks debouch upon the valley, and less perfectly where Skull 
Creek enters the open land. A number of springs as well as the 
streams themselves flow down and spread over these alluvial deposits, 
while other water may also enter the sands and gravels by seepage 
from the bluffs against which these deposits lie; hence it seems prob- 
able that small flowing wells similar to those of Alvord Valley, which 
are described later (pp. 74-77), can be obtained in the valley near 
the margins of these deposits, for these springs and streams keep 
the alluvium saturated with water, probably under sufficient head 
to produce flowing wells around the edges of the fans. A spring at 
the Home Creek ranch house, which furnishes the domestic supply, is 
probably of alluvial artesian water that escapes to the surface at this 
point, along the edge of the fan of Home Creek. 

Judging from the slight inclination of the rocks on each side of this 
valley its unconsolidated filling is perhaps not over 200 feet in depth, 
and over its greater portion the surface is so nearly level that little 
head can be developed in the alluvial water; hence, except in the 
zone just outlined, in the lowlands about the margins of the fans, 
there is not much probability that artesian flows will be developed 
by wells sunk into the valley filling only. 

GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE. 

Since the surface of this region is approximately the original surface 
of the lava flows, the slopes are in general dip slopes. Along the 
western side of Catlow Valley the basalts dip eastward at a uniform 
low angle, and pass beneath the lake deposits. On its eastern border 



68 WATEK KESOUECES OF HARNEY BASIN EEGION, OREGON. 

the rocks that form the escarpment along that side of the valley dip 
gently to the west or northwest. Southward the slopes rise to a 
more mountainous country, while on the north low scarps in the 
plateau region also exhibit gentle west and northwest dips. 

At first thought, the escarpment along the east side of this valley 
and the gentle slope toward it of the rocky desert to the west, suggest 
that the scarp has been produced by faulting, and that the country to 
the west is the surface of a tilted block. Lake Abert and northern 
Warner Lake, which are west of Catlow Valley, lie in basins at the 
lower sides of such blocks, and it is possible that Catlow Valley also 
lies upon the edge of such a tilted block. However, the following 
conditions lead to the tentative statement that the scarp bounding 
the eastern side of this valley has been produced, or at least made 
steeper and heightened, by progressive weathering action, and that 
the rocks underlying the valley form a great low syncline. 

The escarpment along the middle portion of Donner und Blitzen 
River divides west of the P ranch. The western branch swings 
southwest along the border of the Catlow Valley and gradually dies 
out in the plateau region. The great escarpment along the east side 
of this valley is formed by slopes that gradually rise southward and 
culminate in the crest of Steens Mountain. Near Threemile Creek 
this scarp turns farther to the southeast, is superimposed, as it were, 
upon the slopes drained by Skull Creek, and unites with the Steens 
Mountain scarp at Whisky Hill. The remarkable steepness and regu- 
larity of this escarpment, and the sharp notches that have been cut 
in it by Home and Threemile creeks, suggest a fault origin, but no 
hot springs or other evidences of faulting were seen along any part of 
it. The springs that issue along it come forth well up on the face of 
the scarp, not from the edge of the valley alluvium as they would if 
they rose along fault fissures. One or two blocks were noticed that 
dip steeply toward Catlow Valley, but these are more probably land- 
slide blocks caused by erosional agencies than blocks due to faulting. 
In respect to this scarp as a fault feature the statement made in the 
earlier discussion of structure may be repeated here — that in the case 
of the recognized fault scarps the rocks forming the uptilted blocks 
dip away from the bluffs, while those forming the scarp on the eastern 
side of Catlow Valley dip toward it. 

It is difficult to determine closely the direction of dip of the lava 
beds of the Catlow basin, for they slope at angles of only 2° or 3° from 
the horizontal, and in few places is there a distinctive layer of lava or 
tuff that can be used for such a determination. It seems, however, 
that the surface rocks of the plateaus to the west, north, and east of 
Catlow Valley are all at least of the same horizon or period of effusion, 
if not of the same individual effusion or flow of lava. A dip of 3° 
westward would carry the upper beds of the scarp at Home Creek 



CATLOW BASIN. 69 

beneath the valley 4 or 5 miles out from the scarp, so they may be 
continuous with those of the slopes on the opposite side of the valley. 
Or it may be that the beds composing the Catlow Valley scarp overlie 
those of the scarp along the eastern edge of Warner Valley and of the 
plateau surrounding Beattys Butte, but never extended so far west- 
ward, as is indicated in the generalized cross section on Plate III; 
and that the Catlow Valley scarp has been made more prominent by 
progressive eastward subaerial erosion. la the cross section the bed- 
ding planes represent series of effusions rather than separate flows, 
for it is not considered that each relatively thin sheet of lava is as 
extensive as is usually each bed of a sedimentary deposit. « If either 
of the above explanations of the structure is correct, Catlow Valley lies 
in the trough of a great shallow syncline. 

Progressive erosion may also account for the 400-foot cliff at the 
northeast end of the valley. There is a small difference between the 
inchnation of the beds composing this escarpment and that of the 
slopes south of it, which appears to carry the rocks of the latter 
beneath those of the higher plateau. The beds on each side of the 
cliff dip in the same direction, northwestward, but there is no evidence 
of faulting or of tilted block structure along the scarp. 

ROCK WATER. 

If the Catlow Valley scarp is a fault scarp it of course seriously 
affects rock-water conditions, if it does not render impossible the 
existence of artesian water beneath the valley. This is not con- 
sidered to be the case, however, and the explanation of the structure 
as being synclmal is beheved to be the correct one. 

Aside from the structure, the numerous springs that issue along the 
east side of the valley furnish the best evidence in favor of the presence 
of artesian water. At Roaring Springs, at Threemile Creek, and near 
the HL ranch numerous springs issue from a coarse tuffaceous bed 
that seems to be continuous throughout the length of the scarp. The 
water of these springs is several degrees above the normal ground- 
water temperature, and the flow is nearly constant, two factors which 
indicate that the springs are not dependent on the local surface water 
for their supply. 

The existence of this porous bed and the evidence that it carries 
much water favor the behef that other water-bearing beds are 
associated with the rocks underlying the valley; while the synchnal 

a George Davis Louderback has well expressed this idea of the thinning out and overlapping of successive 
lava sheets, in a paper entitled "Basin range structure of the Humboldt region" (Bull. Geol. Soc. America, 
vol. 15, 1904, pp. 302-303) . In this paper he says: " Volcanic rocks that are the successive products from sev- 
eral vents are likely to be very irregular in their areal distribution and order of superposition. The failure 
of a later to cover completely an earlier, or the overlapping of a later over an earlier, ox the failure of a later 
to overlie an earlier at all, lead to some confusion, and make it difficult and sometimes impossible to arrange 
them in. historic sequence. ' ' 



^0 WATEE EESOUKCES OF HAENEY BASIN EEGION, OEEGON. 

structure favors the belief that this water is under sufficient pressure 
to yield flowing wells when th^ water-bearing beds are properly 
tapped. 

CONCLUSION. 

Although Catlow Valley is 400 or 500 feet higher than the other 
valleys of Harney County, its climate is said to be milder than that of 
the lower ones^ and it is claimed that precipitation withiii it is some- 
what greater. Possibly the bluff along its eastern side protects it 
from the cold stor.ms that sweep over the more exposed valleys. 

There is little available surface water, but the indications favor a 
plentiful supply of shallow ground water, both for domestic use and 
for irrigation by means of pumping plants. It is probable that 
flowing wells of small yield may be obtained in the unconsolidated 
material near the margins of the alluvial fans on the eastern border 
of the valley. Deep drilling for flowing artesian rock water is also 
warranted by the structure and other favorable conditions, and it is 
probable that a valuable supply of water for irrigation may be 
developed from the deep-seated sources. 

Except in limited alkaline areas in its lowest parts, the soil con- 
ditions in this valley seem good, so that when it has become settled 
and transportation facilities are improved it should support a 
well-to-do agricultural and stock-raising community. 

ALVORD BASIN. 
LOCATION AND EXTENT. 

The Alvord basin extends along the entire eastern base of Steens 
Mountain and southward along the Pueblo Kange a short distance into 
Nevada. Throughout its greater extent it has a width of 6 to 10 
miles, but in its northern portion its continuity is interrupted to 
some extent by hiUs, and the valley portion is much narrower. The 
elevation of the valley land, as nearly as could be determined by 
aneroid barometer, is about the same as that of Harney Valley — 
between 4,100 and 4,200 feet. 

SOIL AND VEGETATION. 

In the northern part of the basin much of the surface is covered 
with gravel and alluvium that have been brought down by the streams 
from Steens Mountain. These materials have formed great alluvial 
fans, which have built up the divides that limit the basins of Juniper 
and Mann lakes and separate the drainage areas of these water bodies 
from each other and from that of Alvord Desert. Wild horse Creek 
has also brought down and spread along its lower course a layer of 
gravel, on which there is a rank growth of sagebrush. Near the 



ALVOKD BASIN. 71 

mouth of the canyon of Trout Creek, along the east side of Alvord 
Valley, the stream wash has also built a considerable extent of 
gravelly bench land. Nearly all of this gravelly land is tillable, and 
would be valuable for farming if water were applied to it. A narrow 
strip along Wildhorse Creek and a much larger area along lower Trout 
Creek yield crops of marsh hay, as do also an extensive acreage of the 
Alvord ranch and smaller meadows at Mann and Juniper lakes. On 
the Alvord ranch considerable alfalfa is also raised, and about 5,000 
bushels of barley are threshed each year. But there is much waste 
land in the basin. From the playa of Alvord Desert a wide belt of 
greasewood land extends southward, includes the land surrounding 
Alvord Lake, and extends 5 or 6 miles south of the borax Works. 
Along Pueblo Creek, also, for 4 or 5 miles south of Tumtum Lake, 
there is a band of greasewood land, a couple of miles in its maximum 
width. 

SETTLEMENT. 

At Denio and at Andrews there are post-offices and small stores, 
and a few homes. Throughout the basin there are homesteads wher- 
ever there is water for irrigation, but most of the watered land, by 
which is meant most of the wild-hay land, is controlled by the large 
cattle companies. Recently a few new settlers have filed on home- 
steads south of Juniper Lake, but this was the only one of the several 
areas of vacant sagebrush land in this basin that was beginning to be 
settled in the summer of 1907. A couple of miles south of Andrews, 
Mr. A. Miranda has a number of acres of alfalfa, which in early summer 
are irrigated by water from the mountain stream on the west. A few 
miles farther south, Mr. A. H. Hollis has a few acres of irrigated 
meadow; while in the small valley along Trout Creek, near Flagstaff 
Butte, water is available for irrigation, and much alfalfa is grown. 
On Little Trout Creek, about one-half mile above its junction with the 
larger stream, Mr. J. C. Beatty has a small acreage, which has been 
brought under a higher state of cultivation than any other ranch 
noticed in this region. As his ranch is a good example of what can 
be done in this section where water is available, the following state- 
ments were obtained concerning the crops he raises. In the narrow 
strip along the creek that has been brought under irrigation he has a 
number of acres of alfalfa, from which three cuttings a year are har- 
vested. Nearly all vegetables can be grown, and his potato patch of 
2f acres has yielded 245 bushels to the acre. In this locality it is 
best to plant vegetables after the first week in May, so that they may 
escape the late killing frosts. Apples and other hardy fruits do well, 
but the late-blooming varieties have been found to be the best. 
Plate V, A, shows Mr. Beatty' s ranch and the extent of the culti- 
vated land on each side of the stream. 



72 WATEK RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

MINERAL DEPOSITS. 

For the last nine or ten years borax has been shipped from the 
works near the hot springs south of Alvord Lake. Of the deposit 
here Joseph Struthers says:" 

The marsh deposits of sodium borate in Harney County, which extend over 10,000 
acres south of Lake Alvord, have been operated during the last few years, and the 
refineries have produced a yearly output of approximately 400 short tons of refined 
borax, which is carried by mules to Winnemucca, on the Central Pacific Railway, 
whence it goes to Chicago, St. Louis, and occasionally to San Francisco. The Rose 
Valley Borax Company owns 2,000 acres of the richest portion of the deposit close to 
the lake. The ground is level and treeless and is incrusted with a layer of sodium 
borate several inches in thickness, which contains also sodium carbonate, sodium sul- 
phate, sodium chloride, and other salts. During the summer the loose surface deposit 
is shoveled into small heaps and is replaced by a second incrustation within a compara- 
tively short time. As no mining is done in winter, sufficient material is collected in 
summer to furnish a supply to operate the refining works throughout the entire year. 
The crude mineral, containing from 5 to 20 per cent of boric acid, is shoveled into tanks 
of boiling water, and chlorine or sulphuric acid is added to decompose the alkali salts, 
and thus free the boric acid. After twenty- four hours the clear supernatant liquor is 
drawn off into crystallizing tanks and cooled, yielding white pearly scales of high- 
grade boric acid, and a mother liquor, which is used repeatedly if it contains a sufficient 
quantity of sodium salts to warrant a separate treatment. 

In the collection of the alkali crust Chinamen have been employed 
chiefly. This crude deposit is first scraped into windrows with shovels 
and then loaded into wagons and hauled to the works. Sagebrush is 
used as fuel under the dissolving tanks. The refining plant consists 
of two of these tanks, of 6,000 and 8,000 gallons capacity, respectively, 
and 24 crystallizing tanks, each of 1,200 gallons capacity. The crys- 
tallized product of borax is sacked and hauled to Winnemucca, Nev., 
by 16-mule teams. 

As has been stated in an earlier part of this paper, new interest 
has been aroused within the last few years in copper prospects on 
Pueblo Mountain and the neighboring slopes, but up to the fall of 
1907 no extensive development had been undertaken. The metal 
seems to be associated with the porphyries and the granitic series 
of rocks that form the Pueblo Mountains. 

SURFACE WATER. 

Trout Creek, the largest stream in this basin, rises in the hills of 
the southeastern corner of the county, enters Alvord Valley from the 
east, and flows northward along it. Half a mile above the mouth of 
its canyon the rock walls closely approach each other, and open out 
above into a little valley that forms a very good reservoir site. The 
advantages of a reservoir here for the storage of water for irrigation 
have long been realized, but no detailed survey of the site had been 

a Struthers, Joseph, Borax: Mineral Besources U. S. for 1901, U. S. Geol. Survey, 1902, pp. 870-871. 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 231 PLATE V 




V. 



A. J. C. BEATTY'S RANCH ON LITTLE TROUT CREEK. 




B. ALLUVIAL FANS ON WEST SIDE OF ALVORD VALLEY. NEAR MANN LAKE. 



ALVOED BASIN. 73 

made at the time of this reconnaissance. It is said that if a dam 100 
feet in height were built at the narrowest part of the canyon it would 
form a water body about half a mile long and perhaps 300 or 400 
yards wide. At the lower end of a larger valley about 3 miles farther 
upstream there is another good dam site, but the reservoir that would 
be formed here is, on casual examination, of much greater capacity 
than the inflow could fill advantageously, while the valley that would 
be submerged is occupied by two or three farms. 

Nearly all the other streams of the Alvord basin are on its western 
side and are fed by the springs and melting snow of Steens Mountain. 
This water finds its way to the few lakes or else sinks in the alluvium 
and marsh lands before reaching these water bodies. 

On the talus slopes of the Steens Mountain scarp there are numerous 
surface springs which are fed mainly by melting snow, and there are 
also a few cold springs supplied by water from a source not so direct. 
Of these may be mentioned that known as Summit Spring, No. 236, 
on the road between Juniper ranch and Mule ranch, and a larger 
spring on the road between Alvord and Catlow valleys. On the lower 
slopes lalso there are a few springs along the canyon sides. In at 
least one place, at the home of Mr. A. H. Hollis, 6 miles south of 
Andrews, a seepage spring has been developed by tunneling, so as to 
furnish a supply of water for domestic use. There are also a num- 
ber of hot springs in this valley, of which those near the borax 
works south of Alvord Lake are the largest and hottest. About one- 
quarter mile north of the works there is a series of vents along a line 
one-quarter mile long, in some of which the water is near the boiling 
point. At the borax works there is a pool about 275 yards in diameter, 
known as Hot Lake. It is on a low mound surrounded by grease- 
wood and salt-grass land, and the edge of the pool is bordered by a 
hard crust of carbonate deposit. The water rises from the bottom of 
the pool through several vents and discharges through a ditch, with 
a fairly constant flow of between 75 and 100 miner's inches. The tem- 
perature of the water varies, however. When measured in Septem- 
ber, 1907, where it discharges from the pool, it was 97° F., while 
seven weeks later the temperature at the same place was 82° F. The 
water is used in the boiling tanks of the borax works and to some 
extent in irrigating a field of salt grass east of the pool. 

On the western side of Alvord Desert there is another group of hot 
springs, which have a temperature of about 168° F. Their water 
sinks in the barren land of the desert after flowing a few hundred 
yards through a salt-grass area. 

On Trout Creek, at the base of Flagstaff Butte, there is a fourth hot 
spring. Five or six vents at this place yield a total of perhaps 5 
miner's inches of water, which rises with a temperature of 128° F. 



74 

Advantage is taken of the temperature of this water during the sheep- 
dipping season, when it is used in preparing the dip. 

Although its temperature is but shghtly above that of the ground 
water, a spring on Mr. A. C. Bustamante's place, about 2h miles 
southeast of Andrews, is mentioned here with the hot springs, inas- 
much as its location with respect to the mountain block that termi- 
nates in Serrano Point suggests that its existence is due to the dis- 
location that produced that block, and that its source, like that of 
warmer springs, is deep-seated water that rises along fault planes, or 
shallower Avater heated by the proximity of masses of lava beneath 
the surface, that have not yet cooled to a normal temperature. 

The lakes of Alvord Valley are of course dependent mainly for 
their supply upon the inflow from streams and springs. Alvord Lake, 
the largest of these, is an alkaline body that changes much in size 
with the season. Tn years of great precipitation, as has been pre- 
viously stated, it overflows northward to the great playa of Alvord 
Desert. Tumtum, Mann, and Juniper lakes contain comparatively 
fresh water, but as each occupies the lowest part of the locality in 
which it lies the water has not been used for irrigation. Their shores 
are steeper than those of Alvord Lake, and hence they do not fluctuate 
so greatly in areal extent. Ten Cent Lake, at the northern end of 
the valley, receives its supply in large part through ditches that 
bring to it water from the slopes to the southwest. It is thus made 
a storage reservoir for water that in summer is conducted southward 
through a ditch to irrigate land on the Juniper ranch. 

GKOXa*D WATER. 

As in the other valleys, water is obtained at a shallow depth in the 
alluvial filling of Alvord Valle^i , ITlTd in the wells that were visited it is 
of good quality, since it is derived mainly from the snow of Steens 
Mountain. 

The streams that flow dowiTthe Steens Mountain scarp have built 
alluvial fans, in which conditions are favorable for the existence of 
water under pressure; and the presence of such water is shown in 
several wells. Fourteen flowing wells, practically all that had been 
sunk in the valley up to that time, were noted in the fall of 1907. 

All of these flowing wells were bored, and work in several unsuc- 
cessful ones had to be stopped when coarse gravel was encountered. 
Three wells, Nos. 65, 66, and 67 (PI. Ill), on Mr. A.Miranda's place, 
2 miles south of Andrews, have a diameter of only 2 inches, and as 
the head is slight the flow is small and is used only for domestic 
purposes and for watering cattle. About 4 miles farther south, in 
meadow land belonging to Mr. A. H. Hollis, there are six flowing 
wells, Nos. 70 to 75, inclusive, which are 6 and 7 inches in diameter 



ALVOKD BASIN. 



75 



and yield a total flow of about 25 miner's inches. The water is used 
to irrigate the grass land immediately adjacent. About 6 miles 
north of Denio there is a 6-inch well (No. 81) belonging to Mr. J. 
Thomsen. It was flowing perhaps 2 miner's inches in September, 
1907, but little attempt had been made to utilize the water. This 
well is near the channel of Pueblo Creek, and on the western edge of 
the alkaline land that extends along its course. Near the edge of the 
marsh land south of the Alvord ranch (at No. 61) an artesian flow^ 
was obtained in the spring of 1907 by Mr. S. Alberson. The other 
flowing wells of this valley are small ones, only 2 or 2 J inches in 
diameter, and their flows were not being put to any use at the time 
of this examination. All of these flowing wells have been obtained 
in a narrow strip of land close to the center of the valley, and their 
artesian head is slight. Two wells, Nos. 68 and 76, which were bored 
a little farther from the trough of the valley than the successful ones, 
failed to yield flowing water, though water rose in them to within 3 
and 4 feet of the surface, respectively. Two other wells near Andrews, 
Nos. 63 and 64, failed to obtain artesian flows, and the water is said 
to hav^ risen in each only a foot or two above the depth at which it 
was struck. The artesian area is thus seen to be limited to a narrow 
belt along the lowest portion of the valley, and the greater part of this 
land is not suitable for cultivation, owing to its alkaline quality. 
Near Denio only one flowing well (No. 82) was noted, and it seems 
to be a developed spring rather than an artesian well. 

The locations o f the wells that were noted in this valley are shown 
on Plate III, and other facts concerning them are listed in the fol- 
lowing table: 

Wells in the Alvord basin. 



No. of 
well. 


Owner or location. 


Class of 
well. 


Method of lift. 


o 
^^ 

CD > 
ft 


1 


i ■ 

% 
S 


Remarks. 


59 


South end of .Tuniper 
Lake. 

F. Miranda's stage sta- 
tion. 

S. Alberson, sec. 28, 
T.34S., R.34E. 

Hotel, Andrews 

1 mile southeast of An- 
drews. 
do 

A. Miranda, 2 miles 
south of Andrews. 

i mile south of No. 65. . . 

Ed. Carlson, 1 mile 
southeast of No. 65. 

A. H. HoUis, 6 miles 
south of Andrews. 


r>ug 

...do 

Bored... 

Dug 

Bored... 

.:.do 

...do 

...do.... 

...do 

...do 


Bucket and 

rope. 
Wheel and 

bucket. 
Flows.... 

Wheel and 

bucket. 
Windmill 

.....do 

Flow 


Feet. 
10 

12 

6 

20 

14 

6 


Fed. 


In. 




fiO 








61 
62 


84 


6 


Artesian flow at \1\ feet; 
barely flows. 


63 








64 








65-67 


202 

183(?) 
150 


2 

6 


Cased only part way; 


68 
69 


Not used 

Flows 


3 


flows are about \, \, 
and 1 miner's inch. 

Unsuccessful boring for 
artesian flow; water un- 
der pressure struck at 
il7 feet. 

Unused . 


70 


do 




Flow, \ miner's inch; 
temperature, 68° F. 



a Thought to be between 100 and 200 feet. 



76 WATER RESOURCES OP HARKEY RASIK REGlOK, OREGON. 

Wells in the Alvord basin — Continued. 



No. of 
well. 


Owner or location. 


Class of 
well. 


Method of lift. 


o 

ftfe 


5 
ft 

o 


Diameter. 

1 


71 


A. TI. Hollis, 6 miles 
south of Andrews, 
do 


Bored . . 
do 




Feet. 


Feet. 
50-100 

50-100 

50-100 

50-100 

50-100 

170 


1 
In. 1 


72 


do 




7 

■7 
7 
7 
6 


temperature, 72° F. 
Flow ()v miner's inches* 


73 
74 
75 
7G 

77 


do 

do 

A. H. HoUis, i mile 

south of No. 75. 
Mr. Doane, sec. 3, T. 39 

S., R.33E. 
Mr. London, east of No. 

77. 
Ed. Catlow,sec.l4, T.39 

S., R. 33 E. 
Mr. Johnson, in slough 

south of Turn turn 

Lake. 
J. Thomsen , 7 m iles north 

of Denio. 
2 miles north of Denio. . . 


...do 

...do 

-..do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 


-..'..do 

do 

do 

Not used 

Windmill 

Not used 

Pitcher pump 


4 

20 

3 

5 


temperature, 71° F. 
Flow, 4 miner's inches; 

temperature, 04° F. 
Flow, 3| miner's inches; 

temperature, 68° F. 
Flow, 4 miner's inches; 

temperature, 68° F. 
Unsuccessful boring for 

artesian flow. 


78 
79 


(«) 




Unsuccessful boring for 
artesian flow. 


80 


23 
38 


2 
6 




81 
82 


do 

do 




(reported.) 

Flow about 2 miner's 

inches. 
Small flow, possibly a 

developed spring. 



a Said to be over 200 feet deep. 

In December, 1908, after the above list was compiled, Mr. J. H. 
Neal reported that he had drilled a well in the northern end of the 
basin, in T. 29 S., R. 36 E. The material passed through was mainly 
'^ cement" gravel and clay, to a depth of 435 feet. Here a layer of 
sand was encountered, in which a supply of water, 66° F. in tempera- 
ture, was obtained, which rose within 86 feet of the surface. 

Although strong supplies of water similar to this may be obtained 
in other parts of the Alvord basin, which will be of value for pumping 
purposes, it is not probable that flowing artesian wells can be ob- 
tained in the higher portions of its cultivable lands. 

In January, 1909, Mr. Neal also reported that two small flowing 
wells had been obtained by Mr. Tudor, about 2 miles south of Juniper 
Lake. One of these is only about 20 feet deep, and has a flow suffi- 
cient to fill a 1-inch pipe without pressure. The other is about 70 
feet deep, is cased, and yields two or three times as much water as 
the shallower one. 

It is probable that a few small flowing wells can be obtained east 
and northeast of Denio, near the course of Pueblo Creek, but it is in 
the portion of the valley between Alvord ranch and Juniper Lake 
that the possibilities of development by means of shallow flowing 
artesian wells seem the greatest. This land is composed mostly of 
alluvial gravel, and is covered with sagebrush. In by no means all 
of it is there probability of obtaining flowing wells, but along the 



ALVOKD BASIN. 77 

center of the valley for 3 or 4 miles south of Juniper Lake, and along 
the west side of the valley between Mann Lake ranch and the Alvord 
ranch, artesian flows can probably be obtained from wells sunk in 
the alluvium near the margins of the fan deposits. The develop- 
ment of these fans near the Mann Lake ranch is shown in Plate V, B. 

ROCK- WATER CONDITIONS. 

On his first visit to southeastern Oregon, Russell^ considered Steens 
Mountain to be a great fault block, at the east base of which lies 
Alvord Valley. After later study of its structure he was inclined to 
believe it ''the western slope of a great anticline," ^ or at least that 
in general the structure is anticlinal, but that faulting and also deep 
erosion have given the present topography to the mountain and to 
the valley^nd hills along its eastern base.^ 

This latter hypothesis seems to be the more probable — that the 
structure is a great low anticline that has been extensively faulted, 
rather than a great monoclinal block. The Steens Mountain scarp 
seems to be unquestionably of fault origin, and the blocks within 
the northern part of Alvord Valley appear to be monoclinal fault 
blocks rather than erosional remnants; but east of the valley the 
rocks dip gently eastward, in agreement with the assumption that 
they belong to the eastern limb of a great low anticline of which the 
westward-dipping beds of Steens Mountain form the other limb. 
The eastern portion of the geologic cross section, on Plate III, shows 
the structure of the valley at the north end of Alvord Desert, where 
the faulted anticlinal character is best shown. 

There is little chance of obtaining artesian flows by deep drilling 
in this valley. The extensive faulting that has taken place prevents 
rock water from being stored under pressure in its central and south- 
ern portions, while in its northern portion, even if extensive faulting 
has not taken place, the anticlinal structure does not admit of the 
collection of deep-seated water. 

RESUME. 

In summing up the agricultural conditions in Alvord Valley, and its 
further possibilities, the following statements may be made: The 
climate is milder than in the higher and more open parts of the 
county, because it is protected even more than Catlow Valley by a 
great escarpment. The valley contains much fertile land that is still 

o Russell, I.e., A geological reconnaissance in southern Oregon: Fourth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, 
1884, p. 439. 

^ Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: 
Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 78, 1903, p. 43. See also p. 23 of the same paper. 

cSee also Russell, I. C, Notes on the geology of southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon: Bull. 
U. S. Geol. Survey No. 217, 1903, pp. 15, 68. 



78 

unoccupied, but there is also a great amount of wortliless land within 
it. Water is easily obtained by sinking shallow wells, and except in 
the lowest lands it is of good quality. In certain parts shallow flow- 
ing wells have been obtained, and in certain other restricted areas 
that have been named it is probable that flowing water can be de- 
veloped. The rainfall is usually sufficient to raise dry crops of grain, 
but without water for the irrigation of other crops agriculture can 
hardly prove successful. The section is remote from market, and 
probably will be for a number of years to come; but the local con- 
sumption of hay and grain is increasing, and there is usually a good 
demand by sheepmen and cattlemen for such produce during the 
winter months. 

WHITEHORSE BASIN. 
DESCRIPTION. 

The Whitehorse drainage basin lies east of Alvord Valley, between 
it and the plateau country that drains northeastward to Owyhee 
River. The southern slopes of this basin rise to the Whitehorse 
Mountains, while on the east and west gentler slopes form its sides. 
The northern part of the basin widens out to a flat alluvial valley, 
which merges into the higher plateau country that stretches toward 
Barren Valley, in Malheur County. 

At the Sand Gap, in its northwestern end, only a low divide sepa- 
rates this drainage basin from that of Alvord Valley. Toward the 
northeast a wide arm of the valley extends for a few miles, but no 
evidence was seen that indicated an opening out of the valley in that 
direction, nor that flood water has, during recent years at least, ex- 
tended very far along this northeastern arm. 

SOIL. 

In the southwestern part of the basin the soil is derived mainly 
from light-colored tuff and volcanic ash, but near the stream chan- 
nels it is more gravelly. On the Whitehorse ranch there are some 
3,000 acres of wild-hay land, upon which practically all the available 
surface water is used. Northward beyond the limits of this meadow 
there is much cultivable sagebrush land, but on the west side of the 
basin the soil is dryer and probably somewhat alkaline, as it supports 
only a scanty growth of greasewood. 

SETTLEMENT. 

The Whitehorse ranch controls all the meadow land of the valley, 
and from it approximately 3,000 tons of hay, or a ton to the acre, is 
gathered each year. In the fall the cattle from the surrounding range 



WHITEHOKSE BASIN. 79 

are rounded up here to pasture during the winter, and are fed from the 
stacks during the more severe weather. 

The only habitations in the valley land during the past year were 
at this ranch; though in the southern part of the basin, along the 
upper course of Willow Creek, there were two or three small farms 
where water was available for irrigation. 

SURFACE WATER. 

There are two streams in the Whitehorse basin, Willow and White- 
horse creeks. These rise in the hills to the south and flow in a di- 
rect course toward its northern end. In late summer Whitehorse 
Creek is nearly dry, but Willow Creek enters the lowland with a flow 
of 50 to 75 miner's inches. Through the southwestern part of the 
basin, which is a wide, sagebrush-covered, gently sloping valley, 
storm-water channels carry the run-off to Willow Creek. 

In this southwestern portion there are two localities of springs. 
At the western one (No. 244, PL III) an acre or more of ground is 
kept wet by the seepage from numerous small vents ; while half a mile 
farther east four springs a few yards apart, with a combined flow of 
3 or 4 miner's inches, discharge water close to 100° F. in temperature. 

GROUND WATER. 

During harvest season, water for the haying crews is obtained 
throughout the meadow land of the Whitehorse ranch from dug wells 
a few feet in depth. At the ranch house, water stands about 15 feet 
below the surface during the summer. Wells in nearly all other parts 
of the agricultural lands should also reach water at shallow depths. 

Whitehorse and Willow creeks have not formed alluvial fans of 
noticeable extent, because for most of their lower courses they have 
relatively gentle grades, and do not debouch from steep canyons upon 
a flat valley. Hence, conditions do not favor the storage of water 
under pressure beneath the -marsh land of the lower courses of these 
streams, as they do in portions of the Alvord basin. 

From the vicinity of Flagstaff Butte the valley floor slopes to the 
northeast, but the deposits over this area are bedded volcanic ash 
rather than alluvium, and the water supply to this surficial material 
is very limited. It is possible that wells sunk in the lower part of 
the valley, west and southwest \)f the Whitehorse ranch, might strike 
water in the alluvial and tuffaceous material under sufficient head to 
yield artesian flows, but the chances do not favor the existence of 
such water in these shallow deposits. 



80 WATER RESOUECES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

GEOLOGIC STRUCTURE. 

Structurally the Whitehorse basin is synclinal, for from the south 
the bedded lavas composing the mountain slopes dip toward it, and 
from the east and from the west the rocks also dip gently toward its 
valley land. A few miles south of the Whitehorse ranch a low rocky 
divide that separates the channels of Wliitehorse and Willow creeks 
narrows the alluvial land to a belt along Willow Creek and partially 
divides the topographic basin into an upper and a lower valley. 
While in this middle portion there may also be some constriction of 
the structural basin, the attitude of the rocks, where observed, indi- 
cates that it is not divided into two separate basins. 

ROCK WATER. 

That tuffaceous layers are interbedded with the lavas is shown 
where they are exposed south of Flagstaff Butte and in other places 
west of the valley, and by layers from which springs issue that are 
exposed east of the Whitehorse basin, in Oregon Canyon.'^ 

The hills to the south furnish a catchment area in which water may 
penetrate to the deeper rock layers ; so that the favorable conditions 
of structure, pervious beds, and source of supply, necessary for the 
existence of water under pressure, seem to be fulfilled in this basin. 
Hence it is very probable that wells drilled to a considerable depth 
and properly cased will yield artesian flows. A possibly unfavorable 
condition is the low elevation of the northwestern rim at the Sand 
Gap, but as the supply of water to the deep layers probably comes 
mainly from the south it is not considered that this low place 
seriously affects artesian conditions within the basin. Since it is the 
lowest, the northern part is that most favorable to the existence of 
artesian water, but in the southern portion also, in the neighborhood 
of the springs that rise near the road, artesian conditions probably 
obtain, as was pointed out by Russell^ several years ago. 

The depth at which an artesian flow in this basin may be expected 
can not be foretold even approximately, since no deep wells have been 
sunk in the region. It seems, however, judging solely from the evi- 
dence furnished by the springs in Oregon Canyon, that such water 
should be found within a depth of 1,000 feet. The warm springs in 
the southern part of Whitehorse basin are possibly artesian in char- 
acter, and their water may derive its high temperature by coming 
from deep sources, but it is thought that their abnormal temperature 
is more probably due, in part at least, to the proximity of heated rock 

a See Russell, I. C, Preliminary report on artesian basins in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Ore- 
gon: Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 78, 1903, p. 43. 
bOp.cit., p. 44, 



MALHEUR RIVER DRAINAGE AREA. . 81 

below the surface. Flagstaff Butte has the appearance of being 
either a center of effusion or an intrusive mass, and in its vicinity the 
underlying rocks may still have a higher temperature than is normal 
for the depths at which they lie. The hot spring at the south base of 
Flagstaff Butte is also evidence of a disturbance of some sort that has 
given rise to increase of temperature in the rocks underlying this 
locality. 

MALHEUR RIVER DRAINAGE AREA. 
SURFACE WATER. 

The portion of the area shown on the reconnaissance map (PL II) 
that lies east of the Harney basin and north of the Alvord basin is 
drained by a number of streams tributary to Malheur River. The 
northern slopes are drained in part by Stinking water Creek, an inter- 
mittent stream, and in part directly into Middle Fork of Malheur 
River by small drainage courses. The southern portion of the area 
is drained by Crane Creek and its tributaries. This stream in its 
lower course is known as South Fork of Malheur River, and joins 
Middle^ Fork at Riverside. Most of the tributaries to Crane Creek 
flow during only a part of the year, while this creek itself is dry in 
summer along portions of its upper course. From the south. Camp 
and Indian creeks receive the run-off from a considerable area that 
lies between the Harney and Alvord basins, and after uniting flow 
through several miles of meadow land to the valley of Crane Creek. 

A number of springs issue from light-colored tuffaceous beds along 
the canyon sides of Crane Creek. At least one of these. No. 253, has 
been dug out and enlarged, and furnishes water for domestic use, 
yielding a constant flow of perhaps two gallons a minute. Other 
similar springs along the edge of the creek valley flow in small volume 
during the summer. Several warm springs also rise along the lower 
course of Crane Creek, but these have been sufficiently described in 
the general discussion of the surface waters of the region (p. 38). 

CULTIVABLE LAND. 

The cultivable land of this part of Harney County is confined 
almost wholly to the courses of the larger streams. Warm Spring 
Valley, along Middle Fork of Malheur River, is over a mile in width 
and 5 or 6 miles long. A great part of it supports growths of rye 
grass and meadow grass, and on the stock ranches that control most 
of the land some alfalfa is also raised. The Malheur project of the 
United States Reclamation Service, which contemplated the irrigation 
of land along the lower course of the stream, included the construction 
of a dam at the lower end of this valley, which would convert nearly 
the whole valley into a lake. This was called in the preliminary 
74385— iRR 231—09 6 



82 WATER EESOUKCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

surveys the Harper Keservoir. In the spring of 1908 work had not 
been extended beyond these preHminary surveys, and construction 
had been indefinitely deferred, owing to the high estimated cost per 
acre of the project. 

On upper Crane Creek there is an area of bottom land in which 
are two or three ranches, and on these ranches the summer flow of the 
stream is used for irrigation. • A short distance below the point where 
the road through Crane Creek Gap crosses the stream valley the canyon 
walls approach each other, leaving only a narrow strip of bottom land 
along the creek for a distance of 3 or 4 miles. Near the mouth of 
Gorman or Alder Creek the valley widens again, and from this point 
to a couple of miles below the mouth of Coyote or Little Crane Creek 
the alluvial land is from a quarter of a mile to nearly a mile in width. 
Part of this bottom produces wild hay and on a part grain is raised, 
but the greater share of it was still covered with sagebrush at the 
time of this examination. On the two or three farms along this 
lower valley the stream water is used to some extent in irrigating 
small gardens and orchards. The lower 6 or 8 miles of the part of 
this stream valley that is shown on the reconnaissance niap (PL II) 
is floored with basalt, and there is little tillable land in it. 

From the junction of Camp and Indian creeks to near Venator 
post-offlce, a distance of 5 or 6 miles, the flood water of these streams 
has produced a stretch of marsh land, along which there are a few 
hay ranches. Crane Creek and its tributaries, with the exception of 
Camp Creek, which will be spoken of later, furnish a supply of water 
which, if stored, would probably be sufficient to irrigate most of 
the cultivable land along their courses. 

STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS. 

As there are warm springs along the lower course of Crane Creek, 
it may be well to speak of the rock structure in its relation to deep- 
water conditions in this area. On this subject Russeirs notes on the 
structure along Crane Creek are quoted below:" 

Crane Creek receives Coyote and Gorman creeks as tributaries from the north. 
These two creeks and the upper portion of Crane Creek, above the abrupt bend in 
its course where the road leading to Malheur Lake leaves it, flow south in nearly- 
parallel valleys, due mainly to faulting, and enter a large valley with bold walls, 
which trends about east and west. This larger valley has several peculiar features 
which at once attract attention. In a general view it appears as a deep stream-cut 
valley, about one-half mile wide, leading directly through the hilly country it trav- 
erses, and affording a low-grade pass to Harney Valley. The impression is that it 
was formed by a river which escaped from Harney Valley. * * * 

In traversing the Crane Creek Pass, as it may suggestively be termed, from east to 
west, one ascends Crane Creek, which has a well-defined gradient, until about 10 miles 
below its ultimate source, where a steep ascent of about 100 feet leads to a divide, 

a Russell. I. C, Preliminary report on the geology and water' resources of central Oregon: Bull. U. S. 
Geol. Survey No. 252, 1905, pp. 38-39. 



MALHEUK RIVEK DEAINAGE AEEA. 83 

or rather a crest that would be a divide if surface waters were present, separating the 
slopes oii the east draining to Crane Creek from the slopes on the west draining to 
Malheur Lake. On the west the floor of the pass is approximately level. Throughout 
the two portions of the old valley the width is about "one-half mile, and the bordering 
escarpments are bold and steep, and in general 200 or 300 feet high. The valley is 
clearly the result of stream erosion, and is a part of the record inscribed on the land, 
showing formerly greater precipitation than now. The divide which crosses the 
course of the valley from north to south is due to movements in the rocks subsequent 
to its excavation, and is of the natm-e of a fault, the west side of which has been 
upheaved in reference to its eastern side. Other illustrations of faulting and tilting 
are present in the same region, and are suggestive of the causes which produced 
changes in the direction of flow of the modern streams in respect to their former and 
larger representatives. 

This region, near the eastern border of Harney County, shows 
numerous evidences of having been faulted; and it is probably along 
fault planes or zones that the water of the springs in Warm Springs 
Valley (along Malheur River) rises. There are similar springs at Mr. 
H. C. Luce's, in sec. 20, T. 24 S., R. 37 E., which yield 6 or 7 miner's 
inches at temperatures of from 106° to 143° F. The water of Mr. 
Dennean's spring, in sec. 2, T. 25 S., R. 36 E., probably issues through 
a iissin-e or other vent from an underlying porous bed. The existence 
of such beds carrying water under pressure is so uncertain in this 
region of faulted structure that it would be a very uncertain under- 
taking to drill for flowing wells should a greater supply of water 
than the streams furnish ever be needed. 

ANDERSON VALLEY. 

DESCRIPTION. 

In the southern part of the area draining to Malheur River, the 
course of Camp Creek above its junction with Indian Creek lies for a 
number of miles in a wide flat valley known as Anderson Valley. 
The western and northern portions of this valley are rocky, and except 
for a few playas are not cultivable. Along the southern side of the 
valley, however, there is much agricultural land. During the past 
few years several fields have been cleared in this section, and wheat 
and rye have been raised. 

SURFACE WATER AND SHALLOW WATER. 

Camp Creek, the main drainage channel through this valley, is dry 
during the summer months in years of ordinary rainfall. Mr. James 
Mahan, who owns the Mule ranch, has built an earth dam 24 feet 
high and 130 feet long at the base across Camp Creek a couple of 
miles below his ranch. This forms a storage reservoir with a capacity 
estimated at about 1,800 acre-feet. In the spring the supply from 
Camp Creek is said to be ample to fill this. During the past summer 
an irrigating ditch was being extended from this reservoir eastward 
along the edge of the valley, with the intention of putting much 
of the land under irrigation. 



84 WATER EESOUKCES OF HAENEY BASIN EEGION, OEEGON. 

Few wells had been sunk in this valley when it was visited, as few 
people had yet filed on land in this locality. Of the four wells marked 
on Plate III as within it, No. 90 was dug in the gravel wash of a 
wet-weather stream, where water was easily obtained; the one at 
Mule ranch was sunk in the bottom land of Camp Creek, where the 
ground-water level is only about 4 feet below the surface ; while in 
the western part of the valley wells Nos. 86 and 87 reached basalt 
only 3 or 4 feet below the surface, and failed to reach water at the 
depths of 10 and 27 feet, respectively, to which they were sunk in 
the hard rock. 

It is probable that drilled wells can reach water within a reasonable 
depth in this part of the valley, perhaps within 100 feet, but it is 
hardly practicable to dig wells through the basalt that underlies the 
playas of the central part of the valley. 

During the early part of 1908 a well (No. 88) was being drilled by 
Mr. J. R. Jenkins near the north base of Riddle Mountain, near the 
center of sec. 14, T. 28 S., R. 34 E. The following record of material 
passed through, as reported in February, 1908, indicates a succession 
of basalts and tuffaceous beds, such as are exposed along several 
escarpments in this region: 

Record of Jenkins well, near Riddle Mountain. 

Feet. 

Cement gravel 0-95 

Black lava rock 95-155 

Brown sand rock and hard cement gravel in stratas of 5 and 10 

feet 155-205 

Clay and sand (white sand rock, brown and black, in strata of 10 

to 20 feet), with very hard streaks 205-335 

Clay and shale 335-425 

Blue clay, with the odor of sulphur 425-455 

Water at a temperature of 66° F. was struck in this well at a depth 
of 70 feet, but it rose above this depth little if at all, indicating that 
it was under no appreciable pressure. At 300 feet this water was lost, 
but on drilling deeper another supply was struck that rose 300 feet. 
At last accounts (August, 1908) the water stood 200 feet below the 
surface. This well is situated on the mountain slope, considerably 
above the valley floor, and hence is not a fair test of conditions in the 
valley proper. 

On the slopes to the south of Anderson Valley numerous springs 
that issue along the sides of steep canyons may be in part surface 
springs, though the greater share of their water probably comes from 
tuff beds that have been cut across by the streams. Water does 
collect under pressure in these beds, but it is doubtful if at any point 
on the lower slopes the head developed is sufficient to bring it to the 
surface when tapped by a drilled well; for the pressure is relieved by 



MALHEUR EIVER DEAINAGE AREA. 85 

the issuance of the water as canyon springs or by its escape northward 
and downward within the beds. 

ARTESIAN CONDITIONS. 

As previously stated, lava belonging to a more recent period of 
effusion than that of the Steens Mountain basalt covers a great part 
of the floor of Anderson Valley, but the structure of the underlying 
rock has not been altered by these more recent flows, and it is shown 
by the attitude of the beds along the sides of the basin. On the south 
the slopes of Steens Mountain dip beneath Anderson Valley at angles 
up to 10°; from the north the lava sheets also pass beneath the valley 
floor ; while on the west, over the area of low relief that separates this 
basin from Harney Valley, the beds are nearly horizontal. The valley 
lies, therefore, in a synclinal basin whose southern side is much the 
higher and longer. Its western end flattens out and merges with the 
structure of the Harney basin, while to the northeast there is an outlet, 
structural as well as topographical, along the course of Camp Creek. 

As elsewhere in this great area of bedded lavas, porous sheets of 
tuff are associated with the rocks that underlie Anderson Valley. 
The northern slopes of Steens Mountain are a catchment area for 
water that can find its way downward through seams and fissures in 
the harder layers, to these more porous beds beneath. In general, 
however, the structure of this valley is not favorable to the storage of 
water under sufficient head to bring it to the surface in drilled wells, 
for the low western side of the basin, as well as the outlet northward 
down the valley of Camp Creek, may allow the water to escape in 
those directions, while the recent lava that floors part of the valley 
probably issued from fissures beneath it, which are now filled by the 
congealed rock and form dikes that greatly influence the circulation 
of deep-seated water in their vicinity. 

It is possible that along the southern border of the valley the change 
from a dip of 10° to near horizontality may be sufficient to produce 
artesian head in deep-seated water, especially if the water-bearing bed 
becomes thinner beneath the valley than it is in the mountain slopes, 
as such constriction gives greater head to the water; but the conditions 
for obtaining flowing water in any part of the valley are not favorable 
enough to warrant the drilling of a test well. 

TEMPERATURE OF UNDERGROUND WATER. 

In a study of the water supply of a region the temperature of water 
from wells and springs often suggests the depths from which it rises. 
Shallow underground water varies somewhat in temperature with the 
season, but below a depth of about 50 feet the temperature is fairly 
constant throughout the year, and records of deep wells and borings 
all over the world have shown that in regions where the rocks have 



86 WATE'R EESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

been long undisturbed it increases about 1° F. for each 50 or 60 feet 
of increase in depth. 

This rate of increase of temperature with depth is often assumed in 
estimating the depth from which the water of warm springs rises. In 
regions of sedimentary rocks and simple structure some reliance may 
usually be placed on it, but in areas like southeastern Oregon, where 
the rocks are nearly all lavas, and where abundant evidence exists of 
very late volcanic activity, other factors influence the temperature of 
underground water, and it is doubtful if such evidence has value in 
estimating the depth of artesian water horizons. 

There may be several springs in the area studied, for instance 
those about 3 miles south of Burns and the warm springs near the 
Double O ranch, whose abnormal temperatures are due solely to the 
depth from which the water rises. But many others, such as the 
hot spring on upper Rock Creek, the one near the southeastern end of 
Harney Lake, and the one on the western edge of Alvord Desert, 
seem to owe the temperatures of their water to such causes as prox- 
imity to underlying rocks that have been heated by enormous pres- 
sure and friction along fault zones; to masses of intrusive rock 
that have not yet cooled; or possibly to residual heat in the lavas 
themselves. Hence even those springs of the Harney basin region 
whose temperatures do indicate a considerable depth to the source of 
the water are not to be regarded as reliably measuring it. Russell ^ 
used the temperature of the spring north of Harriman as a basis for 
estimating the depth to the horizon from which it is supplied. Local 
report, which seems to be confirmed by the discordance between 
Russell's measurement in 1903 and one made in 1907, indicates that 
the water of this spring varies in temperature and in volume, and 
that it is supplied from more than one horizon. It is possible that 
this water becomes heated largely by rising along a fault plane,, where 
the rocks are above the normal temperature. The spring at the 
borax works south of Alvord Lake also seems to be supplied from 
more than one water-bearing horizon, as its temperature varies 
noticeably, but no series of observations is available to indicate 
whether this is a seasonal variation or not. 

The temperature of shallow well water usually corresponds closely to 
the mean annual temperature of the region, though, as has been said, 
that of water less than 50 feet below the surface varies with the sea- 
son, being a little warmer in summer than in winter. The temperature 
was noted in most of the wells that were visited, and at this time, 
in late summer and early fall, was uniformly several degrees above the 
estimated mean annual temperature. The average temperatures of 
well water in the sections examined were as follows : At Burns and 
Narrows, from 51° to 53°; at Riley, Lawen, and near Dog Mountain, 



a See quotation on page 64. 



WELL-SINKING METHODS AND COSTS. 87 

about 50°, and in Alvord Valley, 54°. The available weather records 
indicate that the mean annual temperature at Burns is about 43°. 
In the other localities no records have been kept, but their mean 
temperature is probably 2° or 3° higher than at Burns. 

WELL- SINKING METHODS AND COSTS. 

A number of the shallow wells in southeastern Oregon have been 
dug, since the valley deposits are easily excavated and in most places 
are sufficiently firm not to require curbing, but most of the wells 
have been bored. Small domestic wells are easily put down with a 
2-inch or 3-inch carpenter's auger welded to a length of rod or pipe, 
to which other joints can be added as the hole deepens. It may be 
manipulated by hand alone, but when the string of rod becomes 
heavy, a tripod and small block and tackle are sometimes used to 
raise the auger. From 3 or 4 inches to a foot or more may be bored 
each time the auger is screwed down and lifted. In passing through 
the drier, more incoherent layers it is only necessary to pour a little 
water into the hole, so that the material will cling to the auger. 

When water is struck, which is in nearly all wells at less than the 
suction limit of about 30 feet, a length of pipe is lowered into the 
hole, a pitcher pump is screwed to the upper end of the pipe, and the 
well is complete. A strainer is seldom placed on the lower end of the 
pipe, since after a short period of pumping the finer particles of sand 
are removed from around it, and the remaining coarser material acts 
as an efficient screen. 

In boring wells of larger diameter, of 4 or 6 inches, a cheap and 
serviceable auger made from a piece of 3-inch or 4-inch wagon tire 
curled into a spiral is often used. A cutting lip is shaped on its lower 
end, while a length of pipe is welded or keyed to its upper e'nd. This 
is used in the same way as the smaller auger, except that on account 
of its greater weight a small block and tackle is more often used to 
handle it, and a small platform is constructed from which the instru- 
ment is steadied and turned. 

At Burns, where layers of firm-textured tuff must be penetrated, 
many of the wells have been sunk by means of the drop drill or churn 
drill. These wells are usually made 4 inches or 6 inches in diameter, 
;so as to allow the insertion of a pump cylinder down to within suction 
limit of the water surface. Few of these wells are cased below the 
shallow surface coating of soil. The method of sinking is about the 
same as that described by A. C. Veatch in a recent publication of 
the Survey,^ and in an unpublished paper on well-drilling methods, by 
Isaiah Bowman.^ 

a Geology and underground water resources of northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas: Prof. Paper 
TJ. S. Geol. Survey No. 46, 1906, p. 97. 
This paper will be published as a Water-Supply Paper of the U . S. Geol. Survey. 



88 . WATEK RESOURCES OF HARNEY BASIN REGION, OREGON. 

In this method of sinking, the drill bit and string of tools are 
alternately raised and dropped by a spring pole or a walking beam, 
operated either by horsepower or by an engine. The percussion of 
the drill chips off fragments of rock, and by slowly revolving it a 
circular hole is obtained. When so much material is loosened that 
it interferes with the action of the drill, the tools are drawn out and 
the mud is removed by a sand bucket. This consists of a joint of 
pipe a little smaller than the drill hole, with a valve in its bottom 
to admit the material. When the hole has thus been bailed out, the 
tools are again lowered and drilling proceeds. 

The deeper wells in Harney County have been drilled by portable 
rigs, using the regular deep-well drill and walking beam. Such rigs 
are capable of drilling to a depth of 1,000 feet or more, and will 
probably prove the most effective means of sinking deep wells in the 
valleys of southeastern Oregon to tap the deeper rock water. 

As stated in considering ground-water conditions in Harney 
Valley, it is thought that wells sunk to the deeper water-bearing 
strata of the valley filling will be found to furnish an abundant supply 
of water by pumping. But it must be borne in mind that the value 
of this water for irrigation will depend upon the cost of pumping 
and upon the returns from produce that can be grown. 

If the shallower underground water supply of southeastern Oregon 
is developed to any considerable extent, the sand-bucket method, 
and especially its modification used in California to sink '^stove- 
pipe" wells, will probably be found best. This method may be 
briefly described as follows: The casing used is made of heavy 
cylinders of riveted sheet steel, about 2 feet long and usually from 
4 to 16 inches in diameter. It is made of double thickness, one size 
of cylinder just slipping within another. The sections are placed 
so as to break joints, and the outer and inner tubes are united simply 
by denting the casing with a pick. A section of heavier casing, 
usually 15 or 20 feet long, and provided at the bottom with a sharp 
cutting edge or shoe, is used as a starter. This is sunk most of its 
length by digging a pit for it, and upon it the short lengths of casing 
are added, the whole being sunk by hydraulic jacks buried at the 
side of the pit, or by steel rails or I beams used as levers to force 
it down. As the casing is sunk, the material is removed with a 
sand bucket, which is churned up and down and handled by a rig 
that differs from the usual type in that the walking beam is short 
and is placed at the top of the derrick. 

In some regions where only unconsolidated material is to be pene- 
trated, wells are quickly and easily sunk by the jetting process. In 
this process water under pressure is led into the well through a pipe 
of relatively small size, and directed against the bottom of the hole 
through a suitable nozzle. The material is thus loosened and car- 



WELL-SINKING METHODS AND COSTS. 



89 



ried upward to the surface through the casing, which is sunk as fast 
as the hole deepens. Although this is a rapid method of sinking in 
loose material, it is not entirely satisfactory in developing water, and 
probably will not prove of as great value in the lake valleys of south- 
eastern Oregon as the stove-pipe method ; for unless the depth to 
water-bearing strata is already known they can hardly be detected 
when struck, and as sinking proceeds they are cased off, so that no 
evidence is obtained as to the proper depth at which to perforate 
the casing in order to tap the water-bearing layers. 

In regard to the cost of deep wells sunk in the rock layers, the 
following extract concerning drilled wells in east-central Washington, 
where the material to be penetrated is similar to that in southeastern 
Oregon, is quoted from a paper by Calkins:" 

The charges for well drilling in the southern part of the wheat lands are as follows: 
In soil, gravel, etc., above basalt, 50 cents a foot; in rock (which is generally in great 
part massive basalt, though other varieties after the first basalt is struck are not dif- 
ferentiated), 12.25 per foot for the first 300 feet and 50 cents per foot additional for 
each 100 feet below that depth. Water for the engine, coal, and board for the outfit 
are furnished by the owner of the ranch. 

In th^ vicinity of Ritzville [Adams County] the terms are slightly higher; for the 
first 300 feet the charge is there $2.50, and 50 cents higher for each additional 50 feet. 
On these terms, however, the driller furnishes coal, the cost of which is estimated 
at about 25 cents for each foot drilled in basalt. In all cases water is guaranteed, 
and the risk of losing tools (which generally also necessitates abandoning the hole) 
is borne by the driller. The average cost of a well at these rates is probably not far 
from |800, though it reaches a maximum of over $2,000. 

These wells, in Washington, are usually not cased. In Harney 
County casing will be necessary at least to solid rock, in order to 
obtain artesian flows, and this will add another considerable item 
to the cost of drilled wells. The following prices for casing, in April, 
1908, were furnished by the Baker Iron Works, of Los Angeles, 
California. 

Approximate price per foot of lap-weld screw casing, with coupling. 



Inside 




Inside 




diam- 


Price. 


diam- 


Price. 


eter. 




eter. 




Indies. 




Inches. 




2f 


$0.20 


5| 


$0.48 


3f 


.27 


7| 


.70 


t 


.29 


8f 


.80 


.31 


9S 


1.00 



In another publication of the Survey,^ the expense of sinking 
wells of the stove-pipe class, in southern California, are given. From 
it the following table is taken: 

a Calkins, F. C, Geology and water resources of a portion of east-central Washington: Water-Supply 
Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 118, 1905, p. 60. 

b Mendenhall, Walter C, Development of underground waters in the eastern coastal plain region of 
southern California: Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol, Survey No. 137, 1905, p. 32. 



90 



WATEE KESOUKCES OF HAKNEY BASIN KEGION, OREGOI^^^. 



Cost per foot, in cents, of sinking wells of the stove-pipe class. 





4-inch. 5-inch. 


6-inch. 


7-inch. 


8-inch. 


9Hnch. 


10-inch. 


First 100 feet 


1 
30 30 

25 25 


35^0 
20-30 


40 
20-35 


40-50 
20-35 


60-^5 
20-35 


65 


Additional for each 50-foot in- 


35 







Below are prices that were furnished, in April, 1908, by the Baker 
Iron Works, for sheet-steel riveted double well casing, such as is used 
in stove-pipe wells: 

Approximate cost per foot of riveted double ivell casing, made up into 2-foot lengths. 



Diameter. 


Gage. 


Price. 


Diameter. 


Gage. 


Price. 


Inches. 






Inches. 






4 


16 


$0.37 


8 


16 


$0.67 


4 


14 


.45 


8 


14 


.78 


5 


16 


.43 


8 


12 


.93 


5 


14 


.52 


9i 


16 


.79 


6 


16 


.50 


92 


14 


.92 


6 


14 


.60 


9i 


12 


1.12 


7 


16 


.58 


10 


16 


.81 


7 


14 


.66 


10 

1 


14 


.97 



These prices, it must be remembered, are for localities near railroad 
lines, and in southeastern Oregon the item of freight by team will 
materially increase the costs. The price of casing also varies with 
the steel market, so that minor changes take place in it from time 
to time. 



INDEX. 



A. Page. 

Acknowledgments to those aiding 8 

Agriculture, extent of lG-17 

Alvord Lake, description of 11, 29, 30, 74 

spring near 37 

Alvord Valley, agriculture in 77-78 

borax in 72 

climate in 77-78 

description of 9, 70 

ground water in 74-77 

mineral deposits in 72 

rocks in 19,20,21,23 

settlement in 71 

soils of 70-71 

springs of 37, 73 

flow of 40 

strean^s in 36-37, 72-73 

flow of 40 

surface water of 36-37, 72-74 

vegetation in 70, 71 

view in 72 

wells in 23,74-77 

Anderson Valley, description of 83 

rocks in 22 

structure in 85 

surface water in 83 

wells in 84-85 

Andrews, spring near 37, 74 

wells near 23 

Artesian conditions, description of 43-44 

Augers, description of 87 

B. 

Beatty, J. C, quarry of 19 

Blake, James, investigations of 9 

on geology of region. , 18 

Borax, character and distribution of 72 

Bridge Creek, description of 31-32 

flow of 39 

Burke, W. E., well of, description of. 61 

Burns, climate at 12-14 

flow at 31 

springs near 35, 56 

well bpring at 87 

Bustamente, A. C, spring of 74 

Buzzard Canyon, springs in 57 

C. 

Calkins, F. C, on well-drilling costs 89 

Camp Creek, description of .* 83 

Casing, prices of '. 89-90 

Catlow Valley, climate of 70 

description of 9, 29, 64-65, 70 

ground water in .' 66-67, 69-70 

settlement in 65 



Page. 

Catlow Valley, soils of 70 

springs in : 36, 66, 67, 69 

flow of 40 

streams in 36, 65-66 

flow of 40 

structure of 67-69 

surface water of 36, 65-66, 70 

wells in 66-67 

Chamberlin, T. C, on artesian conditions 43^4 

Climate, description of 11-14 

See also particular basins, etc. 

Cold Spring Creek, spring on 35, 56 

Coleman Creek, spring on 38 

Copper, occurrence of 72 

Crane Creek, description of 37-38 

flow of 41,82 

rocks on 22,23 

soils on 82 

spring near 57 

Cucamonga Creek, description of 33 

flow of 39 

Culture, description of 15-17 

D. 

Deformation, progress of 26-27 

Diamond, culture near 50 

rocks near 2i, 22 

Dog Mountain, springs at and near 56-57 

Donner und Blitzen River, description of 32 

flow of 39 

Dorsey, C. W ., on alkalies 52 

Drainage, description of 10-11 

E. 

Effusive rocks, description of 18-19 

Erosion, agencies and effects of 27-30, 69 

Escarpments, origin and character of 25-26, 28-29, 68 

view of 28 

E xplorations, early, ou tline of 8-9 

F. 

Fans, alluvial, occurrence of 24, 65, 67 

view of '. 72 

Faults and folds, description of 25-26 

production of 26-27 

Flagstaff Butte, rocks at and near 19-20 

G. 

Game, occurrence of 15 

Geography, description of 9-17 

Geologic map of region Pocket. 

Geology, description of 18-26 

Glaciation, effects of 28 

Gravel, character and distribution of 23-24 

91 



92 



INDEX. 



Pagre 

Grazing, injury from 45 

prevalence of 7, 16 

Ground water, level of. 42-43, 46 

sources of 42 

See also particular basins; Water, under- 
ground. 
Guano Lake, basin of 38 

H. 

Haines, Fred, well of 62 

Hanley, J. W., acknowledgments to 8 

5_^appy Valley, climate in 12-14 

Harney, rocks near 21 

Harney basin, agriculture in 48-49 

area of 30-31 

character of 46 

ground water in 58-61 

irrigation in 54-56 

lakes of 46-47 

water of, analysis of 47 

location of 46 

rock water in 61-64 

settlements in 47-48 

soils of 50-54 

analyses of 53, 54 

. springsof '35,56-58,63-64 

flow of 39-40 

streams of 31-35 

flow of 39 

structure of 24-26 

surface water of. 30-35,54-58 

wells in 23,58-63 

Harney Lake, description of 11 , 29-30 

rocks near 20 

springs near 57-58 

water of 46-47 

analysis of 47 

Harney Valley, description of 9 

springs in 35 

reclamation in 54-55 

rocks of ^ 22 

wells in 23 

Harriman, spring near 57 

Home Creek, flow of 40 

Hot Lake, description of 73 

I. 

Industries, character of 16-17 

Irrigation, progress of 54-55 

See also particular basins, etc. 

J. 

Jenkins well, record of 84 

Jetting process, description of 88-89 

Juniper Lake, description of 11,29,74 

K. 

Kieger Creek, description of 32 

flow of 39 

glaciation on 28 

Knowlton, F. H., fossils determined by 20 

Krumbo Creek, description of 33 

flow of. 39 

L. 

Lakes, description of 10-11 

formation of 29-30 

See also particular lakes. 



Page. 

Lava flows, character and distribution of 21-23 

result of, on topography 26 

Lawen, well at, record of 62 

Louderback, G. D., on lava structure 69 

Lumbering, extent of 17 

Larsen, E. S., on rocks of region ,:^. . . 19 

M. i" 

McCoy Creek, description of >^. . . 33 

flow of ^. . . 39 

Malheur Cave, description of 22 

Malheur Lake, description of 11 

water of 46-47 

Malheur River basin, description of. 37-38 

soils of 81 

springs in 38, 81, 82-83 

flow of 41 

streams of 81 

flow of 41 

structure of 82-83 

surface water of 81 

Mann Lake, description of 11, 74 

Map, geologic, of Harney basin region Pocket. 

Map, index, of Oregon, showing location of 

area 8 

Map, reconnaissance, of Harney basin re- 
gion Pocket. 

Map, structural, of Harney basin region. . . Pocket. 

Maps, existence of 7 

Marsden, W. L. , acknowledgments to 8 

on faulting in region 64 

Meadows, production of 27-28, 29 

view of 28 

Metamorphic rocks, description of 18 

Mineral Creek, flow of 40 

Minerals, development of 17 

Mud Creek, description of 32 

flow of 39 

Mule Springs, description of 38 

N. 

Narrows, rocks near 20 

Neal, J. H., weU data furnished by 76 

O. 
Oregon, index map of 8 

P. 

Physiography, description of 26-30 

Plateau region, water of 38 

Plutonic rocks , description of. 18 

Precipitation, records of 12-14 

Pueblo Mountain, rocks of. 18 

R. 
Rainfall. See Precipitation, 
Rattlesnake Creek, description of 35 

flow of. 39 

meadow on 29 

view of : 28 

Reclamation, projects for 54-55 

Riddle Creek, description of 34 

Riddle Mountain, well near, record of 84 

Riverside, climate at 12-14 

Rock Creek, des'cription of 36, 65-66 

flow of 40 

Rocks, age of 18 

succession of 18-42 



INDEX. 



93 



Rock water, sources of 43 

Russell, I. C, investigations of 8-9 

on Crane Creek structure 82-^3 

on Keiger Creek 28 

on-Silvies River 29 

on^soils of region 54 

on springs of region 64 

orrSteens Mountain 77 

on timber of region 14 

on wells of region 62 

S. 

Sagehen Creek, description of 35 

Settlements, description of 15-16 

progress of 7, 17 

Silver Creek, culture on 49 

description of 34 

flow of 34 

reclamation on 55 

Silver Lake, description of 11 

rocks near 20 

Silvies River, course of 29, 31 

culture on 50 

flow of 31 

rocks on 21 

Sitz well, record of 62 

Skull Creek, flow of 40 

Smith Creek, description of 34 

flow of 39 

meadows on 27-28 

Sodhouse, spring at 35-58 

Soil, alkalinity of 51-54 

analyses of 53, 54 

classes of 50-51 

See also particular basins, etc. 

Springs, flow of 39-41 

temperature of 86 

See also particular basins. 

Steens Mountain, description of 9-10 

rocks of 19, 21-22 

springs on 58 

structure of. ... ' 24, 26, 77 

Stone, building, development of 17 

Stove-pipe method, description of 88 

Stratigraphy, description of 18-24 

Strawberry Mountains, description of 9 

Streams, description of 10, 31-35 

erosion by 27-28 

flow of 39-41 

See also particular basins, etc. 

Structure, description of 24-26 

map showing Pocket. 

See also particular basins, etc. 

Struthers, Joseph, on borax deposits 72 

Swamp Creek, culture on 50 

description of 33 

springs on 38 



T. Page. 

Temperature, records of 13-14 

Ten Cent Lake, description of 74 

Threemile Creek, flow of 40 

Timber, distribution of 14-15 

Topography, description of 9-10 

development of 26-30 

Trout Creek, description of 36 

flow of 40, 72-73 

rock on 26 

spring on 73-74 

view on 72 

Tuflaceous sediments, description of 19 

water from 43 

Tumtum Lake, description of 74 

rocks near 19 

V. 

Valley fill, depth of 60 

natme of 23-24 

water in 42 

Vegetation, distribution of 14-15 

See also particular basins, etc. 

Volcanic ash, occurrence of 17, 19 

W. 

Walls Lake, description of 66 

Warm Spring Valley, springs in 35, 57 

Warner Creek, description of 38 

Warner Lake, description of 11, 29-30 

Warner Lake Valley, description of 9, 29, 38 

Water, conservation of 45-46 

Water, surface, description of 30-41 

divisions of 30 

See also Streams; Springs; Lakes. 

Water, underground, description of 41-44 

divisions of 41-42 

levelof 42-43,46 

temperature of 85-87 

See also Ground water; particular basins, 
etc. 

Weathering, effects of 28-29 

Wells. See particular basins. 

Well sinking, methods and cost of 87-90 

Whitehorse basin, description of 78 

ground water in 79, 80 

settlement in 78-79 

soil of 78 

springs of 37, 79 

flow of 41 

streams in 37, 79 

flow of 41 

structure in 80 

surface water in 79 

wells of 79, 80 

Whitehorse Creek, flow of 41 

Wildhorse Creek, flow of 40 

WillowCreek, flow of 41 







^' 



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RECONNAISSANCE GEOLOGIC AND STRUCTURAL MAP OF HARNEY BASIN OREGON 



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